SSSS Fourze
by Spartan719
Summary: Yuta Hibiki returns to his hometown of Tsutsujidai City and transfers to Amanogawa High School. A lot has changed since he was last in the city as he reunites with an old friend and makes new ones. Along with change, comes a war of cosmic energy that Yuta embarks himself into with the help of the white space Rider, Fourze. (Collab with SonicHeroXD.)
1. Awa-Kening of a New Fron-Tier

**AN: Hey, guys! I know you're probably thinking that this is a bad idea to have to upload an entirely new story since I have A LOT on my plate as it is on this site, but I like to consider this as an experiment. So, for starters, SonicHeroXD and I decided to see to make this a full story, just to see where this goes considering the set up between the two of us; with the former being the main writer and I being the co-writer/editor.**

Disclaimer: We do not own Kamen Rider or SSSS Gridman, save for OCs.

* * *

Chapter 1: Awa-Kening of a New Fron-Tier

Space. A place of infinite wonders and mysteries. But along with that, there also comes the terrors amongst them.

Across the moon was a strange cloaked figure who was making its way towards a space shuttle. The figure didn't seem to be affected at all by the moon's gravity as it was walking across the surface with ease. It appeared to be holding something in its arms; a metal briefcase. And what was next to said figure was what looked to be the destruction and carnage of a space station. Unbeknownst to this mysterious being, a lone astronaut, who appeared to survive the wreckage, chased after it. He desperately tried reaching towards the cloaked figure, but it could sense his movements. In a split second, the figure nailed the astronaut with one kick powerful enough to launch the astronaut back into the wreckage.

The astronaut was now in a groggy state as he tried getting back up. He looked up to see the cloaked figure remove its hood. What he saw was what appeared to be a strange, cybernetic alien. The alien had a black helmet which sported a red visor, with wires connecting its helmet to its body. The alien gave a chuckle of amusement at the astronaut's struggle as it turned around and continued heading towards the shuttle.

"Wait!" the astronaut yelled, trying desperately for the alien not to escape. But it was too late as the alien had entered the space shuttle before it launched off, leaving the lone astronaut all by himself with no way of returning to Earth.

He stood up as he looked back at the destruction of the space station, there is no else with him. No one to turn too, no way of going back home. He was all alone, stuck on the moon. He looked down in his hands, which was holding a strange crystal. He clenched it out of anger.

"...Sho." The astronaut muttered as the wreckage of the area caused a massive explosion that had a blast radius big enough to consume him and the surrounding area by a couple of meters.

* * *

(17 years later)

A boy in his late teens was walking across the streets of the city of Tsutsujidai. He had teal hair and blue eyes, along with slightly tan skin and sported a pair of translucent glasses. He was wearing what appeared to be a school uniform that consisted of a blue blazer with a white buttoned up shirt and red tie. Along with that was dark plaid pants and black dress shoes. He appeared to be holding something in his hand, a small trinket that had a switch on it that he kept flicking back and forth with his thumb. His name was Sho Utsumi.

"Hey Utsumi-san! How was your first day of school?" a nearby merchant called out to him. Utsumi merely ignored him as he kept walking, which made the merchant upset. "Fine, ignore me like you always do. I was just being polite."

Utsumi kept walking as more people tried greeting him, only for him to ignore every single one of them. All with a deadpan expression on his face, he lacked any form of emotion like a walking corpse. Although he didn't pay them any attention, that didn't mean he was deaf.

"Tch. Typical Utsumi. Hardly opens to anyone," one bystander said behind his back.

"Hey take it easy on him, he's been through a lot you know," another bystander said only for another to scoff at them.

"Doesn't give him the right to be so cold to the rest of us."

Utsumi still gave them no attention as he continued walking. He stopped at a small bridge as he looked up to see a plane flying by. After a few seconds he picked the pace back up and continued walking.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

The same plane that had passed by, descended to a runway as it made its landing. After a couple of minutes, passengers inside got their belongings and exited their way outside the plane. Stewardesses were checking to make sure everyone had exited but found a red-haired teen sleeping in their seat with a magazine over their face, like a sleep mask. He was wearing a black t-shirt underneath a white denim jacket that had red highlights along with jeans and white sneakers. His name was Yuta Hibiki.

One of the attendants approached the young lad as she gently removed the magazine off his eyes.

"Hibiki?" the stewardess asked the teen. She didn't receive a response, so she gently shook him to wake him up. "Hibiki."

Yuta woke up in a startled matter as he blinked his eyes multiple times get a clear vision again.

"Hibiki, the plane has landed. It's time for you to leave."

"Already?" the young teen asked as the stewardess nodded at his answer. He got up and stretched his arms out a bit. "Ugh. Man, I got a rough sleep."

"Well, be grateful that your flight is over." The stewardess remarked.

"Yeah, thank goodness," Yuta replied. He went to get his belongings and make his exit from the plane. "Thanks for being my company for this flight, Sasaki-chan."

"You're very welcome," Sasaki answered in a kind matter. "It's not often that I talk to passengers. Most tell me to buzz off every time I ask them if everything is okay. So, if anything, I should be thanking you. These flights can get boring at times so it's always nice to talk to someone."

"Don't mention it." The young teen responding with a cheeky smile on his face. He took Sasaki's hand and gave a unique handshake that ended with the two bumping fists. She couldn't help but giggle out of amusement.

"What was that?"

"It's something I call the 'Handshake of Friendship'," The boy answered with a wide smile on his face. "I only give this handshake to those I truly consider my friends, and I consider you my friend."

"Friends? We've just met."

"Still counts in my book."

Sasaki just laughed some more as she did find it quite hilarious. "Okay. I guess I'm your friend now, and as your friend, I highly suggest you get off this plane. You don't want to be stuck here forever."

"Right, right. Well I'll see you some time in the future, Sasaki-chan. Count on it." The boy said as he finally left the plane, giving a thumbs up to her, which Sasaki gladly returned the gesture.

"Oh, I will." Sasaki said with a smile as Yuta was soon out of her sights. "...Man, that kid is something else."

Yuta took out a small book out of his pocket along with a pen. He opened it and the pages reveal countless names, now including one more as Yuta wrote it down.

"Sasaki...Maaaatttsssuuuuuoooookkkkaaaaaaaaaaaaa. There we go. Another one on the list." Yuta said with glee, putting the notebook back in his pocket. He soon entered the airport, taking one deep breath. "Well...home sweet home, I guess."

* * *

 **{Space...an unknown frontier holding limitless cosmic energy.} The scene focuses on the Earth coming from a vantage point of the moon as a small spacecraft is shown on the surface.**

 **{These youths will use the Astro Switches to break into space, and forge their own futures!} The scene transitions to a bright white background, showing the backs of all members of the Kamen Rider Club. It zooms into various Astro Switches that are in front of them.**

 **{"Space on your hand!"} Each member of the Kamen Rider Club have their respective Switches in the hands as they each press of flick the buttons on them.**

 **{Now, take space into your hands too!} Yuta grabs his Switch and presses the button down with his thumb as the logo appears.**

 **(Play Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

 **{Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! FOURZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! IKOU ZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! OH YEAH!} The scene shows off Fourze from his helmet to his suit before showing the entire Kamen Rider Club in a classroom who are full of excitement.**

 **{High School kara housouchuu burger katate hungry na everyday} Yuta is sitting in his desk, alone in a classroom as he takes off his school uniform in disgust. He is then seen changing into his regular attire, later walking down the halls with a smirk on his face.**

 **{Mada mada tarinai, yume wa large-size, Come On! Switch On!} Utsumi is seen lurking outside of the facility with his Astro Switch in hand. Rikka is seen sitting in the middle of a flight of stairs, her headphones in her ears. She removes one of the earbuds, giving a soft smile. Fourze is then flying around the city with his rocket in hand.**

 **{Retro future, sonna no wa fusaiyou, omoitsuki image mirai he BLAST OFF!} The scene then shows the rest of the Kamen Rider Club individually, from Namiko, to Kenji, to Hass, and finally JK.**

 **{Koushiki nanka imi ga nai} The scene transitions to an astronomy that Yuta, Rikka and Utsumi are visiting. They observe what is inside and even toy around by each getting inside a spacesuit that is on display.**

 **{Hito no hanashi dake de shitta ki ni naranai de, kakan ni tough ni challenge!} The Kamen Rider Club are shown enjoying their spare time together, going to different areas around the city. They are then seen walking together in the hallways, passing by their teachers, Sarina Sonada and Chuta Ohsugi. It then transitions to Alexis is shown in a dark room as purple aura surrounds him, his red visor glowing in the dark. Several Zodiarts are seen beside him along with a hooded person with a gemini mask on, whose eyes are glowing a bright red.**

 **{Genkai nante bukkowashite yare jibun no te de! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoa! SWITCH ON! Kinou yori step up!} Fourze is then shown testing various Astro Switches at his disposal. The Kamen Rider Club is then seen walking across a harbor with the Powerdizer and Fourze's Machine Masslinger following them along with a couple of Foodroids. Yuta then runs up and jumps in excitement.**

 **{Going gouin my friends, taikiken datte toppa shite! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoa! SWITCH ON! Tabidachi no COUNTDOWN!} Fourze on his Machine Masslinger is avoiding various explosions in his way. The scene then transitions to Yuta, wearing his Fourze Driver, flipping down the Switches and transforming into Fourze. He then gets on Masslinger which is attached to Powerdizer in its Tower Mode, ready to be launched into the sky. The rest of the Kamen Rider Club cheers him on as Powerdizer launches him.**

 **{Tomaranai kurai chou shigekiteki School Days! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! IKOU ZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! FOURZE YAY!} Fourze is gliding across the night sky as the scene showcases Fourze more. The scene ends with Fourze and the rest of the Kamen Rider Club on the moon taking a group photo with their club banner behind them as the logo appears one more time.**

* * *

(Tsutsujidai City)

A taxi cab stops on the sidewalk of a suburban alleyway. The door springs open, revealing Yuta who started checking his surroundings before looking at the cab driver. "This definitely looks like where I need to be. Thanks again for the ride."

"It's my job, kid," the cab driver responded in a nonchalant manner. "No need to thank me for anything." Yuta when to the trunk to get his luggage. "HEY!" The cab driver yelled at him which startled Yuta as he went to look at the cab driver again with a confused expression. "You forgot to pay me."

"O-Oh right, my mistake. I'm very sorry." Yuta apologize, getting his wallet out. The cab driver's eyes widened, his mouth agape when he sees Yuta take out a giant stack of yen. Yuta took out a few bills and handed it to the cab driver, who slowly took the money. "Keep the change."

The cab driver didn't know how to respond at first, looking at the amount of money Yuta gave him. He looked back at Yuta, saying to him, "I gotta drive you around more often."

"If I'm ever in a pitch, you'll be the guy I call," Yuta responded, giving a wink. "Well, I'd best be going then. I'll see you some other time in the future!" Yuta shut the door and watched the taxi cab drive off. He waved the cab goodbye like a little kid full of energy until he stopped waving with a moment of realization. "Oh man! I forgot to ask him his name! Damn it!"

Yuta gave a heavy sigh of defeat. "Oh well, at least I know what to ask him next time." Yuta then grabbed his luggage, which consisted of a backpack and a duffle bag and started walking for the rest of his trip. He entered through the alleyway and checked around the area as he felt the rush of nostalgia. "It's been YEARS since I've last been in this city...I wonder what's changed..."

A couple of meters from Yuta was a girl who was carrying some large boxes. Unfortunately for her, the boxes were blocking her vision but luckily, she didn't seem to be having trouble. What either didn't know was they were walking in opposite directions, with the notion they were going to bump into each other. Yuta kept observing until he eventually bumped into the girl. They both tumbled on the ground, the luggage and the boxes landing down with them.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" The girl yelled at Yuta. Yuta stood up and looked down on the girl, he was just as angry as she was.

"Hey! I can SEE where I was going! You need...to..." Yuta stopped in his tracks as he recognized the girl who was sitting on the floor.

"Well if you can see where you're going, you should've moved out...of...the way," the girl said as she looked up at Yuta as she also stopped in her tracks.

The girls had long dark blue hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved button up shirt which has a black bowtie attached to it. Along with it, she had a black skirt which covered up to the middle of her abdomen, combined with black sock and white shoes. She also happened to be wearing an orange scrunchie on her right wrist. Her name was Rikka Takarada.

Both teens were frozen in awkward silence that lasted for a couple of seconds, maybe even a minute. Rikka slowly got up to get a better look at Yuta. "...Yuta...? Hibiki Yuta...?"

"R...Rikka?" Yuta asked in an unsure way as he examined her. "...Takarada Rikka...?"

Even more silence escaped the two, simply standing still for a couple of more seconds until they both garnered gleeful smiles.

"Yuta!"

"Rikka!"

Rikka went towards Yuta and gave him a hug full of pure happiness which Yuta gladfully returned.

"Oh my god! It's been forever!" Rikka exclaimed, breaking away from the hug.

"Yes, it has!" Yuta replied. "How long has it been? 8? 9 years?"

"I know it's a long time. I'll say that much."

"Do you remember?" Yuta asked as he held out his hand. Rikka smiled as she took Yuta's hand and commenced the Handshake of Friendship which made Yuta grin. "Haha! You do!"

The two laughed as Rikka proceeded to ask him more questions. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I live here now," Yuta answered her, surprising her.

"You're joking."

Yuta points to his luggage. "Does that look like I'm joking?"

Rikka smiled again, hugging Yuta once more, until Yuta realized he made her drop those boxes. "Oh no! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you."

Rikka went over to the boxes and opened them before giving a relaxed sigh. "Thank goodness, nothing is damaged."

Yuta went over to pick up the boxes. "Allow me."

"Yuta, you don't-."

"I insist," Yuta replied as he stacked the boxes before carrying them. "It's only fair, since I'm the one who made you drop them right?"

"I guess," Rikka said. "But what about your luggage?"

"You can carry it," Yuta suggested to her. "It's not heavy at all, I promise."

Rikka went over to grab Yuta's duffle bag and it felt as light as a feather. "Wow. Very light luggage you have."

"Yeah, I didn't pack many clothes with me," Yuta replied. "I was thinking about searching for some new ones once I get settled around the area. Anyways, where do you need these boxes to go to?"

"Follow me," Rikka gestured as the two started walking towards the direction Rikka was previously going.

"I can't wait to tell you all about my journeys and the new friends I made along the way." Yuta said to her, still carrying the boxes, following her direction.

"Still making new friends?" Rikka asked in amusement.

"Well yeah. It's always nice making new friends. Even if you might never see them again."

"Still persitent as always I see," Rikka remarked at him.

The two kept walking while Yuta kept observing the area. He recognizes some of the buildings and found some that were completely new to him. "So Rikka, what have you been doing since I've been-."

"Stop. We're here," Rikka said, making Yuta stop in his tracks. He shifted his head to see where they were. It looked to be a garage that had a sign at the top.

"Junk Shop...Aya...?" Yuta asked in a perplexing tone. "Rikka, why are we at a-?" Before he even finished, he saw Rikka go inside. "Oi! Rikka!"

* * *

(Inside the Junk Shop)

Yuta went inside and found a nearby wall where he gently placed the boxes down. He checked the area and boy did the shop live up to its name. He found various amounts of junk, from nuts and bolts, to screws, mufflers, etc. It wasn't just metal parts either. He also found broken TVs, broken computers, phones, you name it.

"Yuta!"

Yuta turned to see Rikka, whose head popped through purple curtains. She gestured him to follow her. Yuta looked back at the junk one more time before going through the curtains. He was met with what looked to be a cafe lounge. Yuta was now utterly and profoundly confused as he started questioning if this was the same building. He looked across to see pastries displayed near a window. He also found multiple pieces of furniture, from a leather couch, to stools, to shelves, to desktops, to lamps, pretty much everything.

"Oi! Okaa-san!" Rikka yelled out.

"Rikka? Is that you?" A distant voice replied back to her. Soon a middle-aged woman emerged. She had maroon colored hair and had yellow eyes. She is Rikka's mother. "Ah. You're back. Did you bring the packages?"

"Yes, they should be in the junk shop." Rikka replied. "Though I did have a little mishap along the way."

"Mishap?" Her mother asked. "...PLEASE don't tell me the package broke."

"No. The package didn't break thankfully," Rikka reassured her. "However, I bumped into a someone along the way." Rikka then went to grab Yuta's arm and dragged him to her mother. "Recognize this face?"

Rikka's mother squinted her eyes to get a closer look at the red-haired teen. Her eyes sparkled as she remembered who he was. "Yuta? Oh my goodness! It's so great to see you again! Look how big you've grown!"

"It's nice to see you too, Takarada-san. You don't look a day older, the last time I saw you." Yuta complimented to her, making her blush.

"Oh, please. You're too kind." Rikka's mom brushed aside as she gestured Yuta to sit on one of the stools. "Please, have a seat." Yuta complied with her as he sat down, with Rikka sitting next to him. "So where are your parents? I would love to catch up with them after so long."

"Oh...umm..." Yuta muttered which made the mother and daughter duo confused. "My parents aren't...here. It's just me."

"What? What do you mean?" Rikka asked out of shock. This didn't make sense. Why aren't they here with Yuta?

"Well, after some discussion, my parents decided I'm around the age where I should start figuring out what I want to do with my future." Yuta explained to them. "So they felt the best way for me to figure it out is by sending me on a flight all the way here, to the city I was raised in."

"And they didn't want to go with you?" Rikka's mother asked him. She was just as shocked as her daughter was about this revelation.

"It's not that they didn't WANT to go, but that they COULDN'T go." Yuta explained further to them. "They told me that they have unfinished business to take care of. What said business is, I'll never know. They said that once they're done, they will come back here as soon as possible. But until then, I'm all alone."

Rikka and her mother just couldn't believe it. Yuta was sent here, all alone by himself. His parents could've at least had some dignity to choose their son over whatever business they must attend to?

"It's not ALL that bad however." Yuta reassured the worried duo. "They rented out an apartment for me to stay in the meantime. They will also send me a monthly allowance to use for food and other necessities like clothes and supplies. So even being far away, they are still watching over me."

"Well, you're welcomed here anytime, Yuta." Rikka's mother told him in a welcoming tone.

Yuta then turned to Rikka. "By the way, you didn't answer my question from before. What is this place?"

"Oh. Well this is Junk Shop Aya." Rikka began to explain to him. "What you saw over there is the junk aspect of this place."

"So, then the boxes-."

"Are parts Okaa-san needs to tinker with to fix those broken materials you saw back there."

"Tinkering?" Yuta asked as he turned to look at Rikka's mother. "I would've never considered you to be into a subject like that, Takarada-sama."

"A lot of things have happened since the last time you were here, Yuta." Rikka's mother responded. "I decided to pursue a hobby and turn it into a career."

"So...why the cafe...?" Yuta asked her. If she wanted to have a career in repairing, why does she even need to open a cafe?

Rikka's mother scratched her head in embarrassment. "Lately, the hobby hasn't gotten me THAT far in terms of making the amount of revenue that is to be expected. So, I decide why not add another passion I love doing? Baking."

"I also help out with the cafe," Rikka added to the conversation. "It's basically a two-person job, me and Okaa-san."

"Well you have no choice but to help if you wish to keep living here." Rikka's mother joking said in a wholeheartedly manner. However, that statement further confused Yuta.

"Keep...living here?" Yuta asked.

"Yup." Rikka answered. "This is where we live. Been living here for about 5 years. Our bedrooms are on the second floor of this building."

"So..." Yuta just couldn't process at all what he was hearing. "...a junk shop...a cafe...and...a house?"

"Damn right," Rikka's mother answered proudly. "This place has everything we need. I won't go into the legalities of it but I got this place for quite a steal."

Yuta took one more glance at the lounge. Stuff really has change since he was last here.

"Speaking of cafe, would you like anything Yuta?" Rikka's mother asked him. "You must be parched from the long flight here. It's on the house."

"I appreciate the offer but no thank you." Yuta respectfully declined. "I actually need to find my apartment. I was only here to help Rikka get the packages to the shop." Yuta got up from his seat and went to look for his luggage.

"Oh, Yuta. I put your bag over there next to the pastries." Rikka gestured to him, point towards the pastries. Yuta went over there to find his duffle bag. As he picked it up, he noticed a book on a cabinet next to it. He picked it up and noticed an astronaut on the cover of it. He read the title out loud.

"The Infinite Wonders of an Astronaut." Yuta read as Rikka ran up to him and snatched the book away from him. "Is that book yours?"

"N-No!" She denied.

"Wait, are you still wanting to become an astronaut?" Yuta asked her as he remembered parts of their childhood.

"Wh-What!? Of course not! Why would I still want that? That was such a stupid dream." Rikka answered blatantly, denying Yuta's assumption.

"Funny," Rikka's mother chimed in. "That's not the same thing you said when I bought you that model of the Apollo spacecraft last year." Rikka's grew a blush of embarrassment and anger. "You kept going on about how you'll become the best astronaut this country has ever seen."

"O-Okaa-san!" Rikka yelled at her.

"That's what you told me! Don't get angry with me," Rikka's mother answered back. Rikka looked back at Yuta who just had this amused smirk on his face.

"You were saying?" Yuta asked Rikka with a cocky tone in his voice.

Rikka gave a heavy sigh. "Alright, alright. Yes. I still want to become an astronaut. I'm sorry. It's just that I love space. Always loved it ever since I was a kid."

"You still have that inner kid inside you," Yuta remarked which annoyed Rikka slightly. "But hey, I think it's great that you still want to pursue your dreams. And who knows? With the right mind and skillset, maybe you can actually reach that goal."

Rikka sighed again before smiling at Yuta. "Well thanks for being optimistic about it."

Yuta smiled back at her as he headed towards the door. "Well, it's been nice seeing you two again, but right now I have other things that have to attend to."

"Okay then. Take care, Yuta." Rikka's mother said as she waved goodbye to him.

Yuta waved back at her and soon waved at Rikka. "See you tomorrow at school, Rikka."

"School?" Rikka asked.

"Yeah." Yuta answered as he took out a piece of paper from his pockets and read the name of the school off of the sheet. "Starting tomorrow, I will be attending...Amanogawa High School. That's the school you're attending, right?"

"It is. But how did you know?" Rikka asked since she never even told Yuta what school she was even attending.

"I didn't. It was just a hunch," Yuta answered with a cheeky smile on his face.

Rikka just shook her head as she gave a mere chuckle, seeing Yuta leave the cafe entirely.

"Nice to know you now have familiar company with you for this term." Rikka's mother said to her daughter. "Perhaps now you can finally say to him what you wanted to say before he left the first time."

Rikka gave a groan when her mother mentioned that. "Okaa-san that was a long time ago. I've moved on."

"I know that, but...I also know there's a part of you that still felt that way all those years ago."

"Hate to burst your bubble but I am not interested." Rikka said as she stood her ground.

"Okay~ If you say so~," Rikka's mother responded as she went to the back. Rikka scoffed at her mother's teasing. Before Rikka went to go back to the junk shop, she looked at the door Yuta exited from.

Rikka had some contemplating thoughts enter her mind now. Her mother was right about one thing. Rikka was wanting to tell Yuta something important before he left all those years ago. However, due to her own fears, she decided not to. Now that Yuta is back...

"Ugh, great. Now I'm thinking way too much into this." Rikka mumbled to herself as she went through the purple curtain.

(With Yuta)

Yuta was walking outside, searching for his apartment. He only walked a couple of more feet, before he stopped. He turned his head and looked at what was in front of him. It was a house. Yuta, looked back at his paper and back at the house. The house had the exact same address that the sheet of paper had. He looked back at the house once more and noticed that it was not that far from Junk Shop Aya.

"No...no this can't be right." Yuta said to himself. He got out his wallet and took out what looked to be a key card. Yuta had a weary feeling as he slowly walked towards the front door. He felt as if he was invading someone else's property. He looked at the doorknob to see that it had a card reader as a lock. Yuta slowly and nervously placed the key card inside. That nervousness was immediately replaced with shock as the reader verified his card, unlocking the door.

Yuta opened the door to see a fairly large living room, with a nice sized TV, soft looking couches and amazing aesthetic and arrangement.

"...THIS is an apartment?" Yuta asked himself as he couldn't believe that this is where he was living for the next couple of years. He dropped his luggage and shut the front door as he went to further inspect the inside of this so called 'apartment'. He found a nice-looking kitchen that wasn't too crammed but wasn't too large either. Just the right amount. He also found two bedrooms. One that looked like it would be for him, and a master bedroom. Yuta was in amazement of how nice the master bedroom looked.

He marveled at it before noticing a set of clothes laid down on the master bed. Yuta went over to it and noticed a note attached to the clothes. He picked up the note and read it.

" _Surprise! I know you were expecting an apartment, but me and your father took it upon ourselves to make sure you are as comfortable as possible. It may seem like too much, but we felt it's perfect for you. I hope you are happy with this house as you will be staying here for a while. And we also made sure to get your school uniform ahead of time. I know you miss us very much and trust me, we miss you too. But this could be very beneficial for you. I hope you understand. Never forget that we will always love you and we hope you make me and your father proud. Be well and stay safe. Love Kaa-san!"_

Yuta gave an exasperated sigh as he just couldn't fathom this ever happening to him.

"Sometimes, I think you two spoil me too much..." Yuta remarked as he picked up his uniform off the bed, which was a blue blazer, white button up shirt, a tie, and black slacks. He took a few second to examine it and he wasn't necessarily of fan of it. "Ehhh...not really the kind of style I'm into..." He separated the blazer from the pants and had a disgusted expression once he saw the tie and pants closer. "Aw gross, do they HAVE to be plaid?"

* * *

(The next morning)

Yuta exited his new house, wearing his new uniform. He felt slightly depressed as he preferred wearing his regular clothes. But if this is what the school dress code is, he feels he has no choice but to abide to it.

"Yuta?"

Yuta turned his head to see Rikka, who was wearing the same uniform he was wearing, the only difference was she was wearing a skirt instead of slacks.

"Oh. Good morning Rikka," Yuta greeted to her. Rikka looked over to see the house. "What?"

"...I...thought you said you were living in an apartment." Rikka said in a tone full of suspicion.

"I thought so too," Yuta said with pure honesty. "Surprise. I guess we're neighbors now. Small world, huh?"

"Yeah...small world," Rikka said still suspicious over this. Yuta, acting as a gentleman, gestured her to go in front of him. Rikka accepted the gesture as she walked in front of him with Yuta following her.

Rikka still felt something fishy was going on. Why Yuta be neighbors with Rikka? No. It has to be just a coincidence. That's it. Yes, just a coincidence. Rikka tried shaking it off as she kept walking.

* * *

(Later)

The two friends kept walking as they were nearing a bridge.

"Hey Rikka?" Yuta asked her. "I forgot to ask you. What's Amanogawa High School like?"

"Ummm..." Rikka mumbled as her mind processed the question, she couldn't come up with a clear answer.

"That doesn't sound reassuring." Yuta noted.

"Ummm...It's not that it's BAD per say but..." Rikka tried coming up with some sort of answer for Yuta. "I think it's best for you to see for yourself in order to get an opinion."

"...I'll take your word for it," Yuta answered. Now he wasn't sure what to think about what awaits him.

"E-Excuse m-me, Utsumi-senpai?"

Yuta stopped in his tracks to see a girl in front of Utsumi. She looked very nervous to be in front of him. Utsumi on the other hand had a look on his face like he'd rather spend his time doing anything else.

"Here, pl-please read this," the girl gave him an envelope that had his name on it. Utsumi took it and observed it for a couple of seconds before looking back at her.

"Sorry...," Utsumi answered as he tossed the envelope over the bridge and into a small river. "But you're wasting your time." The girl became very disheartened which started making Yuta very irritated as he walked over to Utsumi.

"Yuta, hold on," Rikka said, trying to stop Yuta in his tracks but Yuta was not listening.

"Oi!" Yuta yelled at Utsumi, which caused Utsumi to actually turn around and look at Yuta with the same deadpan expression he had the day before. "The hell is your problem? If you don't like her, the least you can do is read the letter first to see if it changes your opinion and if not, tell her. You should at least have the decency to show the girl some respect!"

"What's it to you?" Utsumi asked coldly. "I never asked for your verdict in the matter. Stay out of my business."

Yuta slightly squinted his eyes at Utsumi before he climbed up on the rail of the bridge which caught both Utsumi and Rikka by surprise.

"Y-Yuta! What do you think you're doing!?" Rikka exclaimed at Yuta, afraid he was about to hurt himself.

"Simple. I'm doing this guy a favor," Yuta answered as he jumped off the bridge.

"YUTA!"

Yuta landed with both feet landing on the shallow river, but felt a lot of pain in his knees and calves. He clenched his knees as he groaned in pain like his legs had just been shot by a rifle. "Okay! Nope! Bad idea! REALLY bad idea!" But Yuta pushed forward and went to get the envelope.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything this stupid before in my life," Utsumi remarked, looking down upon Yuta before looking at Rikka. "You know this guy?" Before Rikka, could answer, Utsumi put his hand up. "Don't. Don't even answer that."

Utsumi walked away from the bridge as Rikka looked down to see Yuta struggling. "Yuta, are you okay?" She asked her childhood friend.

"I-I'm fine!" Yuta replied, still groaning in agony. "You go on without me, I'll catch up soon." Rikka was very unsure with his suggestion, but decided to keep walking towards the school. Yuta, meanwhile, tried flexing and stretching out his legs to get some feeling back in them.

(Later at the school)

The school bell rang as Utsumi and Rikka were in a classroom, with other classmates conversing and being friendly towards each other. Rikka was reading her astronaut book while having headphones on. Utsumi was in the back of the classroom, looking out a window. He turned around to see if anyone was watching him, no one was. Once he felt the coast was clear, he swiftly opened the window as a tiny robot emerged. It jumped off and entered the classroom without garnering attention to itself. Utsumi sat in his desk and opened a book to hide the robot who was now on top of his desk. The small robot started showing Utsumi holograms that carried amounts of data for him to see.

"How did it go?" Rikka asked Utsumi as she turned around, putting her book down and removing the earbuds.

"Not good," Utsumi answered as he grew concerned over what the small robot was showing him. "The Hole is starting to become more active...we're going to need Fourze's power soon."

"Fourze!?" Rikka quietly asked him without drawing attention from other classmates. "We can't! It's not ready yet! We need more time!"

"There's not gonna be much time left, Rikka," Utsumi replied as he then saw the homeroom teacher enter. She was a beautiful woman, who had brunette hair tied in a ponytail and was wear a white dress coat with a blouse underneath along with a black skirt and high heels. Her name was Sarina Sonada.

"Good morning class!" Sonada greeted everyone as she set her materials on her desk.  
Various students, greeted her back, some even calling her cute which she giggled at and brushed off. Utsumi grabbed the tiny robot and turned a knob which caused it to transform into a hamburger. This robot is what known as a Foodroid.

"Well class, starting today, a new student is going to be joining Junior Class B," Sonada announced to the class. "Just in time for the new term. Without further ado, allow me to introduce him right now. Come on in."

This new student just so happened to be Yuta, who was still walking a bit in a groggy state from that jump he made earlier. His shoes and ankles were drenched from the water by the shallow river. Yuta gave the teacher a bow before looking at the entire class in front of him.

"My name is Yuta. Hibiki Yuta," Yuta said, introducing himself to the class. "I hope to be friends with each and every one of you in this room, no matter how long it takes. Nice to meet you all!"

The other students couldn't help but snicker at him and his proclamation. The snickering continued as he gave high fives to random students. Yuta then grew a more serious attitude as he recognized a familiar student sitting in the back. He approached said student who really didn't feel like talking to Yuta.

"Utsumi Sho..." Yuta said his name as he slammed the same envelope the girl had given Utsumi earlier down on his desk. It was still wet and hadn't dried at all. "You got mail," Yuta told him. Utsumi looked down at the envelope and looked up at Yuta as he started becoming more and more agitated towards him.

"You seriously went to that extent to get it? How much of an idiot are you?" Utsumi insulted him, turning his head away, not even want to look at Yuta for much longer. Yuta got down on both of his knees to meet Utsumi's eyes level.

"Idiot is kind of a hurtful term, don't you think?" Yuta asked him. "Especially considering we are friends."

"Friends?" Utsumi scoffed. "I don't ever recall us being friends. I don't even know you, and quite frankly I have no interest at all."

"You might as well," Yuta stated, not budging at all to a thing Utsumi is saying. "I will admit, I can't forgive you for throwing away that girl's letter. A pretty heartless thing for you to do. That's why we're gonna be friends." Rikka was so confused with what was even coming out of Yuta's mouth as Utsumi became more annoyed the longer this conversation with Yuta went.

"What an illogical thing for you to say."

"No," Yuta rebuffed as he stood back up. "I have my reasons. If I can't become friends with a heartless person like you, then I can't be friends with anyone in this school." Utsumi had enough of what he felt like was a one-sided conversation as he got up from his chair. He turned to face Yuta, his face not changing expressions at all. No smile, no smirk. Nothing.

"I don't think you really know when to get the hint," Utsumi said. "What you don't understand is the probability of us being friends is a big fat zero. Get it?" Utsumi then proceeded to walk out of the classroom.

"Hey!" Yuta yelled. "Hold up!"

"U-Utsumi-kun! Acting on your own again! You can't leave, class is just in session!" Sonada yelled at Utsumi.

"My apologies, Sonada-sensei," Utsumi apologized, although half-heartedly. "I'm going to the nurse's office." Utsumi then turned to look at Rikka who gave him an 'okay' signal. Utsumi nodded before heading off and shutting the door.

"...Well then," Yuta said as he proceeded to sit at his desk which was next to Rikka's. "If you wanna do this the hard way...so be it. I'll show you my tenacity." He declared.

Rikka just gave a sigh, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Very VERY persistent indeed..."

* * *

(The Teacher's Lounge)

Class was over and Sonada had a look that just screamed pure frustration, especially after the scene Yuta and Utsumi caused.

"All these students are very selfish..." Sonada stated as she looked across at a middle-aged man who had slick black hair. He also donned on a formal dress shirt and tie combine with overalls that covered up his abdomen. His name Chuta Ohsugi.

"That's our school tradition, Sonada-sensei," Ohsugi tried explained to her. Ohsugi has had his fair share of obnoxious and disrespectful students throughout a majority of his tenure working at this school. He got up from his seat with a laptop in hand as he walked over to Sonada's desk. "By the way, Sonada-sensei, did you see this on the bulletin board recently?" Ohsugi placed his laptop on her desk and showed her what was on the screen. It had appeared to be a threat towards the school.

"Amanogawa High is a den of devils," Sonada read off the message. "I will...destroy it?"

"What a joke," Ohsugi said, brushing it off.

"However..." Sonada said nervously. "Now that I think about it...have you noticed an increase in unusual activity here in the school lately?"

Lately, a lot of strange occurrences has happened around the school. Sonada can recall various students from the near end of the last term, hardly showing up to class. Sure, it could be students who are impatient for break, but in a large number, felt very strange. Plus, there have been instances of property damage, from bathrooms to the lockers recently.

"Hmmm..." Ohsugi contemplated on Sonada's question. "Nope! But no need to worry about it!" Ohsugi put a brave face on for Sonada but he failed to notice she had got up from her desk to talk to another faculty member about the situation. That didn't stop him from rambling on, however. "Because I, Ohsugi Chuta, will do everything it takes to protect you Sonada-sensei...So...Sonada?" He looked around to see she was out of his reach. "Where'd you go?"

* * *

(Meanwhile)

Far away from the school were three aliens on top of a skyscraper. Each one being a different color. One was pink, one was white and the other was black. They were awaiting the arrival of someone else. Eventually, a hooded figure arrived at the roof. Unlike these aliens, this figure appeared to be a human and was wearing a strange Gemini mask on, one side of the mask being white and the other being black. They gestured the unknown person to follow them, which they did as they walked off.

* * *

(Nurse's office)

Yuta opened the door of the nurse's office, to check and see if Utsumi was actually inside. He saw curtains in front of him.

"Oi, Utsumi, you there?" Yuta asked as she slid the curtains only to find that there were empty beds, confirming Yuta's assumption that Utsumi was in fact not here. Yuta would be angry, but instead he just felt extremely disappointed. "Just like I thought..."

* * *

(Cafeteria)

It was now lunch break as various students were inside. Yuta entered, hoping to find Utsumi there too. But just like the nurse's office, Yuta had no luck.

"He's not here either..." Yuta mumbled to himself. "Where could he have possibly gone to...?" Suddenly Yuta felt his stomach grumbling. He hadn't eaten anything in a while. Since he was already in the cafeteria, might as well grab some food before continuing to search for Utsumi.

Yuta greeted random students who brushed him off, wanting nothing to do with him but Yuta didn't care. As he was walking further in the cafeteria, Yuta was starting to be taken aback by what was around him. It's like he was surrounded by stereotypes. He saw the stereotypical bullies, who had ridiculous hair and sunglasses on. He saw stereotypical tough guys, who weren't wearing their uniforms and had tank tops and orange pants instead, which made Yuta mistake them for prison inmates. He soon found Rikka sitting alone at a table. Rikka noticed him and waved. Yuta waved back as he approached her and noticed she didn't have any food with her.

"You're not gonna get food?" Yuta asked her.

"Oh, there's no need to. I pack my own lunches." Rikka told him as she took out a brown bag. What she took out of it was a fruit granola bar and a homemade smoothie. Yuta was a bit puzzled as Rikka crumbled up the bag.

"Where's the rest of your lunch?" Yuta asked her.

"This IS my lunch," Rikka answered which really surprised Yuta.

"What...?" Yuta asked again as he was pretending that he just didn't hear that.

"Yeah," Rikka replied again. "This is my lunch every day. I hate calories."

Yuta's mouth dropped slightly, he really couldn't come up with anything to say about this. EVERYDAY Rikka eats this. Rikka knew where this was going as she did the talking for him. "If you have something to say, it'd be best to keep it to yourself," Rikka said to Yuta, which almost sounded like a threat.

"G-Gotcha," Yuta said, still astonished about Rikka's diet. "A-Anyways, has Utsumi been around here lately?"

"No. I haven't seen him at all since you two disrupted class earlier." Rikka said. "That really wasn't necessary, you know."

"I know I know. I admit it was very stupid of me to do that, but I will not let this go with Utsumi. I'm gonna be friends with him no matter how much he hates me," Yuta proclaimed which made Rikka just shake her head.

Yuta soon left to get food and once he did, he looked around to see where to sit, until he found really nice tables in the middle of the cafeteria. He approached the table which started getting some of the students' attention. They all gasped as he sat down on one of the middle tables. Yuta heard them loud and clear, turning his head from left to right in pure confusion.

"What?" Yuta asked loud and clear. "Did I do something wrong?" He could then hear students whispering, but not fully understanding what they were talking about. Yuta brushed it off as he started eating his lunch. Suddenly, a flamboyant teen approached him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder while he had a milk carton in his other hand. He had light brown hair and was wearing a plastic headband.

"Hey, where do you think you're sitting, transfer student?" The flamboyant teen asked Yuta in a playful demeanor. "Think you're a hotshot because you're not from here?"

"I don't think I've ever considered myself a hotshot in my life," Yuta answered him, pushing him off as he kept eating his lunch.

"What's with him? He took it so seriously." The flamboyant teen laughed as he walked back to his table which consisted of many happy-go lucky girls who laughed along with him.

Rikka finished her lunch and got up from her seat before noticing where Yuta was sitting. She immediately rushed towards Yuta. "Y-Yuta! What are you doing!?"

"What does it look like?" Yuta asked back at her. "I'm eating my food."

"No no no! You have to move from that table!" Rikka exclaimed as she grabbed Yuta's arm, trying to get him off from his seat. "This is very dangerous!"

"Why?" Yuta asked her. Yuta has had nothing but questions today about this school which finally made Rikka crack.

"I didn't want to tell you this myself. But you left me no choice." Rikka answered. "This school is segregated by certain groups and the seating in the cafeteria is based on that." Rikka pointed to various directions. "Look. Those are the delinquents." Yuta looked to see those same stereotypical bullies from earlier. "Those are the nerds." Yuta turned his head to see a group of said stereotypical nerds with obnoxiously large glasses and had history and chemistry books with them. "Those are the goof-offs." Yuta then turned to see the same group that flamboyant teen is a part of as they greeted Yuta in a carefree way.

"Those are the otaku." Rikka pointed elsewhere. Yuta looked over to see otaku stereotypes which enclosed themselves from everyone else. They had trading cards and mangas with them. Amongst said group was a girl with long black hair with a part of it tied by a scrunchie and had light blue eyes. She also had a flu mask on top of her face. Yuta noticed the girl was looking at him funny.

"And THOSE are the muscle men." Rikka pointed at another direction, which were the same muscle-bound freaks in white tanktops and orange pants. They looked at Yuta in a threatening manner as they kept lifting their dumbells and showing off their arm strength.

"Segregation?" Yuta asked as Rikka nodded at his question. "That's stupid! I've never heard of anything THIS ridiculous."

"Look, I don't like it as much as you do," Rikka responded. "But that's how this school operates. That is this school's rule."

"That's right," the flamboyant teen from before chimed in as he looked at Rikka. "Plus, it'd be bad for a geek like you to be sitting with us."

"Geek?" Yuta asked

"It's a subsection of an otaku," Rikka replied. "Which is what I am, technically." Rikka grabbed Yuta's arm again, desperately trying to get him away from the table he's sitting. "But enough talking! You MUST leave this table! Trust me, you have no idea how much trouble you'll be in if they catch you!"

"'They?'" Yuta asked further to Rikka. "Who's 'they?'"

Just as Yuta ask them, door of the entrance way to the cafeteria opened, which caused silence to immediately spread across the area. Yuta was still confused until he saw who was walking towards the table that he was sitting in. It was three cheerleaders, dressed in red and black outfits. They were incredibly beautiful which made Yuta slightly blush at the sight of them. Especially the one in the middle who looked to be the head cheerleader. She had short brown hair and a red hair pin attached to her and had grey eyes.

"Whoa...who is that?" Yuta asked as he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"The name is Namiko. Kazashiro Namiko." Namiko answered with an annoyed look on her face as she sees Yuta sitting at what is presumed to be HER table. She then noticed Rikka next to Yuta. "Ah. Takarada, finally found yourself a boyfriend?"

"He is NOT my boyfriend," Rikka responded with a sense of malice towards Namiko which made Namiko laugh.

"Sorry," Namiko responded. "My mistake. But then again who would want to date a geek like you, especially with your weird diet?"

"Rikka, do you know her?" Yuta asked her.

"EVERYONE knows her," Rikka answered, while still not breaking eye contact with Namiko. "But I knew her the most. She was my best friend...at least I thought she was. Now she's let her ego go to her head and thinks she runs this school."

"Oh, I don't think, Takarada. I KNOW." Namiko answered, full of pride and arrogance before looking at Yuta with her arms crossed. "And what I want to know is, what is a piece of trash and a geek doing at our table?"

"Trash?" Yuta perplexingly asked Namiko.

"That's right," Namiko replied. "The TRASHIEST of TRASH."

"Hey look," Yuta said as he stood his ground, not getting up from his seat. "No need for name calling alright? Why don't we all sit together and get to know each other better? I'm sure we all could be great friends."

The three cheerleaders grew mischievous smiles as they laughed at him. Yuta sweatdropped as it basically told him they were not interested. Suddenly he felt a hand grab his shoulder, he looked to see a jock who ends up tossing Yuta up a few feet in the air as Yuta crash-landed into a separate table.

"Yuta!" Rikka yelled as she rushed towards his aid. "Are you okay?"

Yuta looked up to see a group of stereotypical jocks enter the scene, they all had black and red jackets on them, including the culprit who threw him across. He was a fairly tall lad who had short navy-blue hair and brown eyes. His name was Kenji Daimonji.

"Why thank you Kenji-kun." Namiko said as she wrapped her arms around his left arm, resting her head on his shoulder. "But you stirred the dust."

Kenji merely chuckled at Namiko's remark. "My sincere apologies, Namiko-chan, I'll be more careful."

Yuta regained his composure as he stood back, now very irritated which has Rikka concerned. "What the hell was that for!?" Yuta yelled at Kenji.

"Be quiet," Kenji responded coldly. "I was merely taking out the trash."

Yuta looked to see Namiko's arms around Kenji's as she gave the same mischievious grin, which really made Yuta angry. "Let's get one thing straight here! This so-called piece of trash has a name, and it's Yuta! Hibiki Yuta!"

"Stop talking," Kenji replied back, not wanting to hear another word from Yuta. "I don't want hear anyting from the mouth of a piece of trash." Kenji snapped his fingers which signaled the rest of his group to approach Yuta as they cracked their knuckles in anticipation.

Yuta lightly pushed Rikka aside, as he wasn't afraid of backing down. Rikka was now afraid for Yuta's wellbeing, she didn't want to see her childhood friend get hurt by these ruffians.

"Can't say I hate to use force..." Yuta said as he removed his tie, tossing it aside. "But just remember, you guys started it." The jocks charged at him as Yuta swiftly dodged them. One tried tackling him only for Yuta to grab his arm and give him a judo throw. Another tried punching him but was all for naught as Yuta block said punches and responded with front kick to the chest so hard, it launched the jock a few feet back, landing back first on a table.

The girl with the flu mask kept her eyes on Yuta, as she started to be more intrigued by him. Meanwhile, the flamboyant teen was slightly impressed with Yuta as he watched him hold his own over these meatheads. "New kid's got spunk, I'll say that much."

Yuta was dealing with another jock, which he had trapped in a side headlock until he saw another one with Rikka in his arms. The jock had the strength to actually carry her towards Kenji and his crew, who quickly recovered.

"Let go of me!" Rikka yelled as she struggled to break free. "I said let go!"

"You bastards..." the word escaped from Yuta's mouth, letting go of the jock he had in his grasp, giving the jock time to regroup with Kenji.

"If you stay still, she won't end up like you," Kenji proposed, while Namiko kept that sinister smile on her face.

"You damn coward! Leave her out of this!" Yuta exclaimed, which caused set off one of the other jocks.

"How dare you insult Daimonji-san!" the jock yelled back at Yuta. This jock was a few inches shorter than Kenji. He had brown flowing, spiky hair and had green eyes. His name was Hiromu Miura.

Yuta was taken aback as he felt like he recognized that name before. "Daimonji?"

"I'm the captain of the football team, Daimonji Kenji," Kenji stated. "Follow me...If we do it here, it'll disrupt the ladies' meal."

"What part of 'let go' do you not understand!?" Rikka yelled as she proceeded to bump the back of her head against the jock's face which forced him to let her go. But Rikka was not done there as she proceeded to give him a kick to the groin, followed by a spinning roundhouse kick. Yuta was stunned by this action as was everyone else as Rikka rushed back to his side.

"I didn't know you could do that," Yuta said in amazement.

"There's a lot of new things you don't know about me, Yuta." Rikka said to him. "Now come on! Let's go!" Yuta nodded at her demand, grabbing his tie before the two ran to the exit.

"Well don't just stand there!" Kenji yelled at his crew. "After them!" The jocks followed his orders as they followed Yuta and Rikka. Kenji gave Namiko a kiss on the cheek before exiting the cafeteria himself.

* * *

(Outside)

Yuta and Rikka were running for their lives as they were now in around the smaller facilities of the campus. They soon were met with a steel fence blocking their path. It was a dead end for them.

"Hey! There they are!" Yuta and Rikka turned to see the jocks were on their tail. They would not let up as they ran towards the two.

"Rikka, go!" Yuta told her, gesturing her to leave him behind.

"But Yuta-!" Rikka tried to argue.

"I said go! I can handle myself!" Yuta broke her off. Rikka reluctantly left him, going in one direction, while Yuta tried going another. One of the jocks was contemplating about going after Rikka.

"Forget her!" Kenji told them as he pointed towards Yuta. "It's HIM I want!"

Rikka turned around to see the jocks kept going after Yuta, which made her gain an enormous amount of guilt. She felt that what she's doing is wrong. She can't just leave her friend behind like that, even if he's the one who suggested it. Rikka donned a brave face as she went to follow the jocks going after Yuta.

Yuta, meanwhile, kept running but felt his knees starting to wear out, probably still aching from that jump of the bridge earlier this morning. Yuta soon found himself trapped as another fence blocked his way. He turned around to see the jocks had caught up to him. Yuta tried running a different direction again, only to receive a hard tackle to the ground by Kenji. Yuta groaned in pain as the jocks grabbed a hold of him.

"That's right. Pick him up!" Kenji yelled. Two of the jocks held one arm of Yuta's as he could barely stand up from that tackle he was given by Kenji himself. Kenji approached Yuta before giving him punches to the gut which made Yuta wince and groan in pain. "Come on! Scream for me! I want to hear you beg for mercy!"

Kenji was then tackled from behind by Rikka who had followed him and his group. "Leave him alone, you asshole!" Rikka angerly yelled at him as she started paint brushing the back of Kenji's head with multiple slaps before some more jocks intervened, grabbing her from behind by the waist, and this time they made sure she wouldn't escape again. Others also helped Kenji back up to regain his composure as he looked at Rikka, very pissed off.

"You shouldn't have done that..." Kenji said with pure malicious intent. "But be grateful I never hit a woman. Instead you get to watch your friend suffer in front of your eyes." Kenji then turned to face Hiromu, instructing him to stand watch in case if anyone else unwanted show up. Hiromu nodded he left the scene to keep watch.

"Let Yuta go!" Rikka yelled as she kept on struggling to break for this bearhug.

"It's...It's okay Rikka," Yuta tried reassuring her only to be met with more punches by Kenji. "God damn! What have they been feeding you!?"

Kenji pulled the back of Yuta's hair, forcing him to look at Kenji. "Has anyone ever told you that you just don't know when to shut up?"

"Trust me, you're not the first one who's felt that way towards me today," Yuta answered which only prompted Kenji to punished Yuta even more until Yuta got down on his knees as he couldn't handle anymore punishment but still refused to have his spirit broken.

"No no no," Kenji said. "We're not done unless I saw we are. GET. UP!"

Yuta then felt something was off. He felt as if a strange presence was watching them. He turned his head to see this dark cloud of smoke across from him with blue lights shining from it. The way the lights were aligned, it was almost as if it represented a constellation in space.

"Stars...?" Yuta asked, tilting his head.

Everyone turned towards what Yuta was now staring at. The cloud of black smoke grew bigger and bigger which started causing the jocks to panic. Eventually the smoke faded, revealing a tall, menacing red cybernetic alien. This alien had red bulky armor which aquamarine and black highlights, and had the resemblance of a medieval army general.

"Wh-What the hell is that thing!?" Kenji asked with hints of fear.

"A monster?" Yuta asked trying to inspect this figure some more.

This alien approached everyone slowly, having a menacing aura around it, striking fear within the hearts of the jocks. Kenji thought quickly as he gestured his group to leave. "Let's go! We're done here!"

The group left as Yuta stood back up as did Rikka who was finally free from the clutches of one of the jocks. Rikka stood there frozen in fear, like she couldn't move as the alien turned its attention towards her.

"Rikka!" Yuta yelled at her. The alien was charging up for a blast, but before it made contact with Rikka, Yuta grabbed her and they both fell down, missing the impact of the blast. The two sat up, looking back at this strange creature. "What is that? Nevermind. Rikka, you need to get out of here." Yuta got up and saw a barrel which had long metal pipes inside. Yuta went over and grabbed one of them. "I'll drive whatever this thing is away, that should give you time to escape."

"Are you mad!?" Rikka asked him as she was baffled that Yuta actually thinks he can hold his own against this alien.

"After what just happened earlier, yeah kind of," Yuta admitted. "I just want to take my frustrations out on something." Yuta then charged at the alien, hitting it as hard as he could with the metal pipe. He put all of his anger into one swing after another, but unfortunately the unknown alien was unphased by Yuta's attempts. His swings did nothing to hurt it. The alien had enough as it grabbed the metal pipe from Yuta's hand bended it like a pretzel with ease.

"Well...shit." Yuta mumbled as the alien gave him a powerful that sent Yuta flying a few feet back.

"Yuta!" Rikka yelled out. She turned to see the alien turn its focus back on her, charging up another blast. However, Rikka was saved from the blast again but this time by what looked like a giant wheel attached to something. Rikka and the alien looked to see that it was a yellow mech that resembled a giant rover. This mech was known as the Powerdizer.

"Are you alright Rikka?" A voice escaped from Powerdizer and it was a familiar voice. It was Utsumi as he was inside the mech, piloting it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the save," Rikka nodded as she pointed at the alien. "Look. His body is the constellation of Orion. It's definitely a Zodiarts."

"Sure, looks like it," Utsumi agreeing with her. "Get back, I'll take it from here!" Utsumi pushed forward, as the Powerdizer marched towards the Orion Zodiarts. Powerdizer started wailing haymakers at the Orion Zodiarts, but it did very little damage. Utsumi was immediately struggling as the Orion Zodiarts began to fight back, nailing punches of his own to Powerdizer.

Utsumi began to feel a little light headed by continuing to fight the Orion Zodiarts as he gave him a desperate kick that successfully connected, lauching the Zodiarts against a nearby wall. However, Utsumi start groaning in pain which Rikka could notice judging from the movements of the Powerdizer.

"Utsumi? Are you okay?" Rikka asked out of concern. Utsumi didn't answered as he attempted to continue fighting but the Orion Zodiarts got back up and started running away, retreating. Powerdizer kneeled as Utsumi became very exhausted.

Rikka looked over to see Yuta passed out on the floor, she quickly ran towards him. "Yuta! Yuta! Wake up!"

"Forget him." Utsumi said, still inside Powerdizer. "He'll live. Right now, we has to find that Zodiarts before it's too late."

Yuta's eyelids started fluttering, as he slowly opened his eyes as it made Rikka sigh in relief.

"Rikka?" Yuta asked. "What happened?"

"The Zodiarts got away," Rikka answered.

"Zodiarts? What the hell is a Zodiarts?," Yuta sat up and immediately scooted back the moment he saw Powerdizer. "And what the hell is THAT?

Yuta heard a groan of annoyance escape the machine. "Great, he woke up..."

"...Utsumi?" Yuta tilted his head as he recognizes his voice. "Rikka, what is going?"

"Can you please stop bombarding me with questions?" Rikka retorted back at him. "I can't answer EVERY single one!"

* * *

(Later)

The trio exited from a warehouse located in the outskirts of the school, the warehouse appears to be where Utsumi keeps Powerdizer.

"D-Does the school know you're keeping that machine inside?" Yuta asked Utsumi.

"No, and they never will as long as you keep your big mouth shut!" Utsumi told him, practically threatening him. Utsumi then groaned in pain as he leaned against a wall.

"Oi, Utsumi! Are you okay?" Yuta asked him, genuinely concerned about him as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine. Get off of me!" Utsumi said, shrugging off Yuta's hand which only made Yuta miffed.

"Hey, I'm legit worried about you!" Yuta barked at him. "For once, stop trying to ignore me!"

"Yuta, please stop," Rikka said. "We have to get him to the Rabbit Hatch."

"The what?" Yuta asked her.

"We're almost there, follow us," Rikka answered as Utsumi and Rikka went on ahead of Yuta, so he could follow them. One thing that Yuta noticed was that Utsumi was now carrying a metallic suitcase which made him raise suspicions toward him.

The trio were soon in a restricted part of the school which was completely empty, no one else but them were inside. Utsumi was then in front of a door that a sign that read, "Keep Out." Yuta was very unsure what to think of all of this, it didn't help much when he sees Utsumi take out a key and unlock the door. Rikka noticed Yuta having second thoughts about this. Rikka gestured him that it was alright. Yuta reluctantly entered the room with them. It looked to be a storage room. It was full of dirt and dust as if this room hasn't been clean in decades.

"Okay. Here it is," Rikka said, as Yuta looked around.

"This is the Rabbit Hatch?" Yuta asked. "I was hoping it'd be...cleaner."

"No, Yuta," Rikka shook her head as pointed at something. "THAT'S the Rabbit Hatch."

Yuta looked over to see that what Rikka was pointing at. Yuta raised an eyebrow at the sight. "But...that's just a rusty old locker." And indeed, it was. The locker looked to have been 100 years old, it looked very dingy and the lock was completely missing.

"You know what they say..." Utsumi responded. "...Never judge a book by its cover." Utsumi opened it which reveal a bright white light which totally caught Yuta offguard. Even more so when he sees Utsumi enter it.

Rikka then grabbed Yuta's hand in reassurance. "Come on," Rikka said. "Trust me."

It took Yuta a few seconds before complying with Rikka as the both entered the locker. Yuta was so amazed as once he entered, he was surrounded by the majesty light and could also see rainbow highlights in the mix. It felt like he was walking on air.

The real kicker happened immediately as Yuta was met with a door that looked like it belonged in a space station. Yuta's jaw dropped as it opened revealing this huge room. Yuta was bewildered by all of this, until he suddenly felt the lightest that he's ever been. He looked down on his feet did a small jumped was he gently levitated for a few seconds before landing back down. It was unbelievable, it was zero gravity, just like in the moon. Yuta couldn't but get excited over all of this as he kept jumping, having some fun. That was until Utsumi pull down a lever that said 'Gravity Control.' Yuta stumbled a bit during mid-jump as the gravity in the area was back to being normal.

He looked to see Utsumi make his way to a button that opened another door. Rikka and Yuta followed him to see Utsumi in front of a computer that had a display of a strange looking figure on it that had a helmet the shape of a rocket.

"Utsumi, wait!" Rikka said to him. "You can't use Fourze! Your body can't contain its power!"

"I don't care!" Utsumi yelled at her as he went over to a board that had strange looking trinkets place in numeric order. Utsumi pulled out the first four trinkets. One was orange, with the number 1 on it. Another was blue with the number 2 on it. The third one was a yellow one with the number 3 and the last one was a pure black one with the number 4 on it. "This thing is the only chance we have of defeating that Zodiarts!"

Yuta looked over to see Utsumi place them in this strange looking device that have four slots open. It also had 4 switches along with a lever on its left side, as well as what looked like an LED screen attached to it.

"Look at how exhausted you are right now, Utsumi!" Rikka pointed out to him. "You can't possibly expect to go out there and handle this by yourself!"

Utsumi completely ignored her as he placed the four trinkets inside the open slots of the strange device. Each trinket having a sound escape from it.

 **"ROCKET!"**

 **"LAUNCHER!"**

 **"DRILL!"**

 **"RADAR!"**

"Only I can do this," Utsumi stated as he grabbed the device, but he was visually starting to look weaker and weaker.

"Wait, Utsumi!" Rikka exclaimed as she grabbed Utsumi's arm, trying to make him rethink this. But Utsumi still refused as he pushed her slightly.

"Don't even try to stop me," Utsumi said to her. He was then taken by surprise as Yuta snuck up when he wasn't looking and snatch the device from him. Utsumi nearly threw a fit of rage towards Yuta. "Hey! What are you doing!? Give that back to me!"

"So...you're saying this device can defeat that monster, right?" Yuta asked, just to be sure.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

Class was back in session as Sonada was lecturing the students but noticed three empty seats. She couldn't help but pout as she knew exactly who was missing from the class.

Suddenly, an explosion can be heard going off. Students outside were running in terror as the Orion Zodiarts was still on campus, slowly walking throughout the school.

* * *

(At the Rabbit Hatch)

"Did you hear what I said!? I said give it back!" Utsumi yelled at Yuta as he went to go hit him until he gained a massive headache that stopped him from doing so. Utsumi then fell backwards and sat on a nearby bench.

"Utsumi!" Rikka said as she went to his aid.

"Look at yourself," Yuta said. "How do you honestly expect to fight that monster when you look like you're going to die from exhaustion? You can't do anything right now with this."

Yuta had a good point. Utsumi's health was very poor at the moment, even if this device he had with him could defeat this Zodiarts, the end result for him could be disastrous.

"But you can't either." Utsumi remarked at Yuta.

"You may be right," Yuta admitted. "But that doesn't mean I can't try."

"You've got to be joking!" Utsumi said to him in pure blasphemy.

"Leave this to me, Utsumi." Yuta said in a serious tone as he exited the Rabbit Hatch.

"Stop!" Utsumi yelled as he tried to go after Yuta but his massive headache struck him again as his clenched his forehead in pain, causing him to fall down on both of his knees.

Rikka looked at Utsumi before looking back at the exit of the Rabbit Hatch. If Yuta is really serious about this...

"Dammit, Yuta..." Rikka muttered as she exited the Rabbit Hatch and went after Yuta, leaving Utsumi by himself.

Utsumi meanwhile felt so much anger and frustration building up inside of him. He hated himself at this moment. He was supposed to be the one to handle this situation and then Yuta comes in and decides to deal with these matters for him. It made him feel so weak. Utsumi's blood was boiling as he looked down at his hand before clenching it into a fist.

"Why...?" Utsumi started asking himself. "...Why was I born with this body!?" Utsumi slammed his fist down in pure anger and rage. He was now alone in this situation...alone in a distant space station...on the moon.

* * *

(Meanwhile back in school)

"Students! Please calm down!" Ohsugi was yelling at students who were panicking and running through the halls. Sonada opened her classroom door as soon as she heard his voice.

"What's happening!?" Sonada asked him.

"Oh, Sonada-sensei!" Ohsugi greeted her as his face brightened at the sight of her beauty. "It's just-"

They both heard distorted screaming as they turned to see the Orion Zodiarts across from the hall as more students ran away from him. Ohsugi freaked out at the sight of him as he too started running like a madman with Sonada following suit.

Meanwhile, Yuta was running throughout the halls in search for the Orion Zodiarts. He heard screaming from upstairs as he ran up them in a brisk pace. Once he got to the top, he saw the Zodiarts terrorizing students, shoving them against the walls.

"HEY!" Yuta yelled at the top of his lungs, which got the Zodiarts's attention as he turned his focus towards Yuta, slowly approaching him. Yuta pointed the device at the Orion Zodiarts but nothing happened. Yuta realized at that moment that he has no idea what the contraption is actually supposed to do. He quickly started panicking himself. He had to figure out how it works fast before he gets mangled by this monster.

Right behind him, Rikka made her way up the stairs. Once she made it to the top she turns to find Yuta who had no idea what he was doing. Rikka groaned and rushed to his aid, taking the device from him. "You're suppose to wear this around your waist!" Rikka place it on his waist as a strap magically emerged from it, wrapping itself completely around Yuta.

"Wait, it's a belt?" Yuta asked. It indeed was a belt, a belt that is known as the Fourze Driver.

"Yes. It's called the Fourze Driver. Now flip the Switches!" Rikka told him further.

"Switches?"

"Yes! This belt will give you the power of space." Rikka explained to him. "Flip the Switches, and transform now!"

"Power of space...?" Yuta asked her as Rikka groaned louder and angrier.

"Do I have to repeat myself!?" Rikka yelled in an annoyed state as she flipped down the switched of the belt. Each switch highlighted the LED screen on the belt with each Switch represent arms and legs on the screen. She immediately went to hide behind the corner of a wall.

"W-W-Wait! Rikka!" Yuta shouted at her. "Transform!? Transform into what!?" Yuta turned back to face the monster who was getting closer. He suddenly heard the belt shout out words.

 **"THREE! TWO! ONE!"**

Rikka emerged out of the corner to give Yuta further instructions. "Now hurry! Say 'Henshin' then pull the lever!" Rikka yelled out to Yuta. "And go like this!" Rikka then did a pose where her right arm was raised up and her left arm point diagonally downwards.

"Wh-What!?" Yuta asked, he was truly and utterly confused about all of this.

"Just do it!" Rikka yelled back.

"B-But-!"

"DO YOU WANT TO DIE!?" Rikka shouted at him with an extremely annoyed face.

"N-No!" Yuta exclaimed.

"THEN PULL THE GOD DAMN LEVER!"

"Okay! Okay!" Yuta said, not wanting to feel Rikka's wrath. Yuta placed his right hand on the lever and his left arm in front of him, dynamically.

"HENSHIN!"

Yuta pulled the lever and did the pose Rikka instructed him to do. A huge puff of smoke came out of the belt like vapour coming out of a rocket. The belt also created a gust of wind as Rikka held her skirt down, her hair blowing from the wind. A cyberhnetic circle appeared around Yuta's waist, and levitated enough to be above his head. Yuta was then consumed by a flash of light. What emerged then made Yuta feel like he was dreaming.

Yuta was donning a what resembled a white spacesuit that had crosshair etchings on it. It had around it orange, black and gray highlights. Small rounded rectangular shoulder pads. The suit also had armor attached to his limbs, each with different shapes etched onto them. His right gauntlet had an orange circle, his left one had a black square, his right boot had a blue X and his left boot had a yellow triangle. On the back of the suit looked like a hover pack. And to top it off, was a helmet that resembled a rocket, which had silver antennae, a small green gem in the middle of the antennae, a black round polygon that encapsulated the front of the helmet and orange compound eyes that lit up. This was Kamen Rider Fourze.

Fourze looked at his hands, his feet, his body and started touching his own helmet. He was freaking out as he turned to Rikka, even more confused now than he's ever been at all today.

"What kind of school is this!?" Fourze asked in a way that felt as if he was on the verge of losing his sanity.

"Shut up and kick his ass, Fourze!" Rikka yelled at Fourze, in hopes of getting him motivated.

"Fourze? I guess I'm Fourze now..." Fourze tried regaining his composure, taking deep breaths, before he finally started gaining the right attitude to fight. "Very well. I got this."

Fourze pointed at the Orion Zodiarts, preparing himself.

"Let's do this man-to-man!" The white Rider declared.

The Orion Zodiarts charged at Fourze and vice versa. Fourze started nailing punches and it actually did some damage to the Orion Zodiarts. However, whatever offense Fourze had was short lived as the Orion Zodiarts gave a big smack powerful enough for him to crash through a wall.

The Orion Zodiarts was about to enter the room that Fourze was thrown in until a giant puff of dirt emerged, briefly blinding him. Fourze got some momentum back as he landed more punches to the Zodiarts, resulting in him crashing against a wall as well.

"Oh no..." Rikka said with a wide-eyed expression as she was seeing Fourze and the Orion Zodiarts cause property damage around the halls. Fourze grabbed the Zodiarts and dragged him away from the halls. Rikka got out from the corner and followed Fourze.

Fourze and the Orion Zodiarts were now in the gym's locker room bumping into more items like tables and lockers, as half dressed students screamed at the top of their lungs in fear. They ran out of the room as Rikka was the unfortunate victim of seeing these half naked boys leave.

"Put some clothes on, you animals!" Rikka yelled, covering her eyes in embarrassment. "Fourze! You NEED to get him out of the school! Press the upper right Rocket Switch!"

"Upper right Rocket Switch?" Fourze asked as he looked down at his belt, specifically at the orange Switch. "You mean this one?" Fourze pressed down on it with his thumb.

 **"ROCKET ON!"**

Fourze's lower right arm was now encapsulated by an actual orange rocket which went off immediately, going out of control, making Fourze lose his balance. The Orion Zodiarts tried to attack him but Fourze would not stay still because of the rocket. Fourze quickly used this to his advantage as he grabbed a hold of the Orion Zodiarts and the two soon flew up and crashed through the ceiling, creating a huge hole on the roof.

Rikka slowly walked towards the carnage, having a disturbed expression on her face. She looked up at the ceiling with pure silence for about a minute before she started questioning herself. "...Dear lord, what have I done...?"

* * *

(Outside)

Fourze and the Orion Zodiarts were still up in the air before they both landed hard on concrete. They were still near the campus grounds, but at least away from the facilities. Fourze still couldn't control his rocket as he grabbed a small tree and went around in circles. He then ultimately pulled the button of the Rocket Switch up, the orange rocket disappearing from his right arm.

"Ugh. I feel very dizzy..." Fourze muttered as he felt very groggy from going in constant circles. The Orion Zodiarts charged at Fourze again and was going for a punch until Fourze dodged it by merely hunching over as if he was about to puke. "I feel very sick..."

Fourze tried to brush it off as he still managed to punch and kick the Orion Zodiarts. Fourze had enough time to think of what else to do after giving the Zodiarts a hard roundhouse kick to his head.

"Well, I know what one Switch does," Fourze said to himself, looking back down at his belt. "But is there anything else these other ones can do?" Fourze look at the blue one to his center-right and push the Switch forward.

 **"LAUNCHER ON!"**

Suddenly, Fourze's lower right leg was encapsulated by what appeared to be a missile launcher. "Woah..." Fourze said as he lightly lifted his right leg to look at it. However, once he set his foot down, the launcher went off, making Fourze stumble and fall to the ground. The missile didn't even hit the Orion Zodiarts at all but instead hit the surrounding area. The missles destroying fences, windows and walls of other buildings.

"I did not mean to do that..." Fourze said in a worried as he stood back up. Meanwhile, the Orion Zodiarts got angrier as it approached Fourze once more. Fourze then heard a sound resembling an old telephone. He looked down to see the black Switch light up which prompted his to push it.

 **"RADAR ON!"**

Fourze's lower left arm was now encapsulated with what appeared to be a mini satellite radar. The radar has a screen which turned on, revealing Utsumi who was still in the Rabbit Hatch.

"Aim with the radar, or else you'll destroy the entire school, you dumbass," Utsumi said to him through the projection.

"Utsumi?" Fourze asked, unbeknownst that the Orion Zodiarts was in front of him. The Zodiarts gave him a punch in which Fourze return with more force.

"Focus on the battle," Utsumi instructed him.

"Got it."

"You just activated the left arm radar," Utsumi told him. "Use that to lock onto your target."

"Understood," Fourze responded as the Orion Zodiarts grabbed a hold of him and tossed him up in the air. Luckily for Fourze, his hover pack saved him from a hard landing. Fourze turned around and pressed a button on his radar.

"Like this?" Fourze then aimed the radar at the Orion Zodiarts. He looked at the screen of the radar, the Orion Zodiart was locked on target. "Gotcha! Take this!" Fourze used the launcher again and the missiles this time hit its target launching the Orion Zodiarts up in the air as it crash landed on the concrete.

"Alright," Utsumi said. "Now switch to close combat. Try switching the right leg switch."

"How do I do that?" Fourze asked him.

"Check the compartment on your belt," Utsumi explained. Fourze noticed a tiny metalic pouch on his right side, he opened it and found another Switch inside. It was a lighter shade of blue and had the number 8 on it.

"This one?" Fourze asked again as he proceed to remove the Launcher Switch and place in the new one in its place.

 **"CHAINSAW!"**

Fourze flipped the Switch open.

 **"CHAINSAW ON!"**

The launcher on Fourze's right leg was now replaced with an actual chainsaw, with the blade attached to the tip of his boot.

"I think I'm starting to like this suit," Fourze remarked.

 **(Play Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

Fourze charged again towards the Orion Zodiarts, using the chainsaw attached, to his attacks, nailing him with rapid kicks. Even a front flip kick with assistance from Fourze's hover pack.

The Orion Zodiarts was fed up with Fourze as he started to unleash a barrage of blasts which actually managed to hit him, and they sent him flying a few feet. Before the Orion Zodiarts unleashed another blast, Fourze became quick on his feet as he closed the Chainsaw Switch, the chainsaw disappearing, as proceeded to do a side roll to dodge the blast.

"I'm getting tired of being hit by that!" Fourze said as he pressed the Rocket Switch again.

 **"ROCKET ON!"**

The Orion Zodiarts launched another blast, but Fourze used his rocket to fly up in the air to avoid it. As he was high in the air, Fourze looked down at his belt again and saw the yellow Switch he hasn't used yet.

"What's this one?" Fourze asked himself as he turned the Switch.

 **"DRILL ON!"**

Fourze's left leg became encapsulated by a yellow drill.

"Holy crap!" Fourze said in awe. "Alright! Time to finish this!"

"Wait a moment, Hibiki!" Utsumi exclaimed through the radar.

"Shut up," Fourze responded as he turned off the Radar Switch, the radar now disappearing from his left arm. Fourze proceeded to use his free hand to pull the lever on the Fourze Driver.

 **"ROCKET DRILL! LIMIT BREAK!"**

The yellow drill begun spinning itself at a rapid pace as Fourze descend towards the Orion Zodiarts who tried using his blasts again to try and stop Fourze but to no avail.

"Eat this!" Fourze yelled as he got into a sidekick position. "ROCKET DRILL KICK!"

Fourze pierced the Orion Zodiarts through its chest, causing him to explode in defeat. Once the yellow drill made contact with the ground, Fourze was spinning at breakneck speed before stopping himself.

Some trinket went flying away from Fourze due to the explosion. The small trinket turned out to be a strange black device with silver etchings and a red button on it.

 **(END Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

Fourze sighed in pure exhaustion as he turned off the Rocket and Drill Switches before falling flat on his rear end. "I did it...I actually did it."

"Yuta!"

Fourze turned his head to see Rikka who was running towards him.

"No way," Rikka said in disbelief. "You actually did it!"

"Why do you sound surprise?" Fourze asked, feeling puzzled.

"Well, I wasn't sure you could actually do it. I feared that you could've gotten seriously hurt," Rikka explained to Fourze as he stood up. "But there was a part of me that knew you could do it from the start."

Fourze chuckled underneath his helmet as he proceeded to thank her. "Arigatou, Rikka." Fourze held out his hand which made Rikka chuckle herself. She accepted it as they commenced the Handshake of Friendship. The two laughing afterwards.

Fourze then gave a heavy sigh as he looked around and saw the destruction that battle with the Orion Zodiarts caused. "...I am so dead..."

"Not if we stop standing around," Rikka said. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Fourze nodded as he got up. Rikka started guiding him back to the Rabbit Hatch to find Utsumi.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

A middle-aged man was sitting in a dark room, with the same device that was seen previously in the aftermatch of Fourze's battle with the Orion Zodiarts.

"I see," the man said as his eyes glowed red. "Alexis...it seems Fourze is at my academy."

A figure emerged in front of him, it was a familiar alien. The same alien that had ambushed that space station on the moon, all those years ago. The same alien with its black helmet and red visor. His name was Alexis. Alexis Kerib.

"So, it appears to be the case..." Alexis spoke. "No matter, his involvement is a means to an end."

Behind Alexis, were three sinister looking aliens, who appeared to be Zodiarts themselves. The same Zodiarts that were on the rooftop that day.

"And you're sure your new recruit can help get the job done?" the man asked Alexis.

"You don't have to be concerned about that," Alexis reassured him. "I placed a lot of faith into her and I know she won't let either of us down...Isn't that right Shinjo...?"

The same hooded figure with the gemini mask, who rendezvoused with the three Zodiarts earlier, appeared to Alexis. She bent down on one knee in a gesture of worship and loyalty.

"...Yes, Alexis-sama..." She muttered as her eyes glowed red.

* * *

(Back at Amanogawa)

Fourze and Rikka were almost near the Rabbit Hatch until they were approached by the Powerdizer.

"Hibiki Yuta..." Utsumi's voice emerged from the yellow mech. Utsumi's tone of voice was full of nothing but disdain.

"Yo, Utsumi," Fourze said as he walked up to Powerdizer. "I told you I could do it. You just needed to have faith in me is all."

"Don't ever say my name so casually!" Utsumi shouted at him which startled both Fourze and Rikka.

Rikka was completely shocked when she sees Powerdizer grab a hold of Fourze, practically shaking him. "U-Utsumi! What are you doing!?"

"Hey! Utsumi!" Fourze yelled as he was struggling to break free. "Let me go! Utsumi!"

* * *

 **The scene focuses on Rikka's phone, which had headphones plugged into it. Her thumb presses the 'Play' button.**

 **(Play A Town in Blue by Asian Kung-Fu Generation)**

 **Rikka is seen walking through various parts of Tsutsujidai City. From alleyways, to school hallways, to the streets, all with her eyes hiding underneath her hair.**

 **{Mada samenai yume ga makuramoto de boku ni tachi shita} The scene showcases parts of Tsutsujidai, from the Amanogawa High School, to parks to train stations.**

 **{Asa no nioi machi ga ugokidasu gamen no tenkiyohou} Rikka is seen walking across a harbor, unbeknowst to her something was flying past her a ridiculous speed. This turned out to be Fourze who flew past her as Fourze was charging towards various Zodiarts and Powerdizer soon joined the fray, helping out Fourze. Meanwhile Rikka just stands and watch as it zooms into her face which had a deadpan expression.**

 **{Hibi ni negai motome ubai atte sekai wa datti-rou} The scene focuses now on Rikka who was in class reading her space book and her headphones in her ears as Yuta was sleeping and Utsumi having this annoyed look towards Yuta.**

 **{Meguri ai fureru kimi no subete ga boku no ai no mahou} The scene focuses on Rikka who is enjoying lunch with Yuta and the rest of the Kamen Rider Club.**

 **{Namariiro no machi nezumitachi no nigoru buruu} The scene transitions to Alexis, his red visor glowing. It also focuses on various Zodiarts and even the hooded masked female, whose eyes were glowing.**

 **{Boyaketa nibui kodou mune ni nokoru wazukana shirosa yo} Yuta was standing on top of a skyscraper, wind blowing through his red hair. He had his Fourze Driver around his waist. He ran and jumped off the skyscraper before pulling the lever, transforming into Fourze in mid-air and activating his rocket.**

 **{Tarinai kokoro wo mitashitakute kakedasu! Hajime no ippo ne de keshiki sae mo KIERU YO!} Fourze was fighting multiple Zodiarts, using various Switches with Powerdizer acting as his shield. From a far distance the rest of the Kamen Rider Club, Rikka included, cheering them on.**

 **{Miageta sora kara ato tadotte oikakeru} The scene transitions to Fourze fighting Alexis in a hard-hitting battle, knocking lumps out of each other. Alexis gaining the upper hand as Fourze started losing stamina.**

 **{Kimagure na kumo ni kimi no kao ga UKABU YO! KITTO!} Fourze was then had a special Switch which he activated, causing him to be consumed by a white light which blocked Alexis's vision briefly. Alexis looked to see Fourze who was completely white, his form unknown as Fourze flew like a bullet towards Alexis. The scene suddenly transitions to a close up of Rikka's face as her eyes open.**

 **{Kitto...} Rikka was laying down she on top of a hill, underneath a tree. She stood up, a bit weary as she noticed the sun was setting.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto} Rikka turned to see a magnificent view of the city before walking away.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto} It was nighttime as Rikka was now near a vantage point at a park, which had another wonderful view of the city, with the city lights making it more breathtaking.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto} Rikka still had a deadpan look on her face, headphones still in her ears. She then felt something weird. She turned her head to see Yuta was next to her. He decided to join her on her sightseeing.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto...} Yuta had a smile on his face, looking at the city before looking up and staring at the night sky. Rikka looked up at the sky as well, and was now donning a smile on her face too as they both enjoyed the magnificent night sky with beautiful looking stars and constellations that complimented it.**

* * *

 **AN: And there's the first chapter! As you know, I'd like to debut with two chapters as opposed to one, so enjoy the second part!**


	2. Begin-nin of a New Friend-ship?

**AN: Hey guys, in case you missed the note from the original chapter, this is my first collaboration project and I'm not the main writer, just co-writer/editor with SonicHeroXD being the former. So, expect the chapters to this story update a bit more frequently. Now, Showtime!**

Disclaimer: We do not own anything here.

* * *

Chapter 2: Begin-nin of a New Friend-ship?

The Powerdizer had Fourze in its grasps as it proceeded to juggle Fourze up into the air from one claw to the other.

"Knock it off, Utsumi!" Fourze yelled at him in mid-air, getting caught in Powerdizer's clutches again. "I followed your instructions, didn't I!?"

Fourze managed to break free as he used his hover pack to land safely on the ground. He gritted his teeth underneath his helmet.

"That suit is emergency equipment," Utsumi spouted at him. "It'd be dangerous if I let an idiot like you use it."

"You're calling me an idiot, again?" Fourze angrily asked him as he charged towards Powerdizer. The yellow mech tried to grab Fourze again but Fourze was now blocking its claws as the two were now having a power struggle.

Rikka grew a serious look on her face as she got in between Fourze and Powerdizer. "That's enough! Both of you!" Rikka yelled at them.

Fourze and Powerdizer kept at it for about a few more seconds before the two reluctantly separated. Fourze felt his hands aching for trying to hold his own against the mech. He shook his own hands as a way of trying to get feeling back into them. Utsumi soon ejected himself from the Powerdizer. He walked towards Fourze and deactivated all four Switches and grabbed a hold of the belt. Vapor consumed Fourze as he reverted back to Yuta, prompting Utsumi to gain the Fourze Driver back in his hands. Yuta was a bit startled by the de-transformation as he sees Utsumi beginning to walk away. Suddenly, Utsumi's headache came back as he fell back down on one knee, rubbing his own forehead.

"You see?" Yuta asked Utsumi as he looked down upon him. "Just what exactly can you do with the condition you're in?"

Utsumi started breathing heavy as he stood back up. "What I could've done...was to make sure not to have made that embarrassing mistake. You let that person escape."

"Escape?" Yuta asked in confusion. "What are you talking about? You mean the Zodiarts? I beat it. It exploded. It's gone. End of story."

"Not...necessarily," Rikka said hesitantly which made Yuta more confused.

"A Zodiarts uses an Astroswitch, it opens a channel to Cosmic Energy," Utsumi explained to red-haired teen. "When that energy materializes, it creates a new monster. That explosion you saw merely just DELETED the energy form."

"...So, in summary...?" Yuta asked Utsumi again in confusion, obviously frustrating the latter.

"That monster was a person who was transformed by using that Astroswitch," Rikka chiming in to make sure Yuta understood clearly.

"Wait...that was an actual person I fought back there?" Yuta asked.

"You're exactly right," Utsumi answered.

"And these Switches...?" Yuta asked further.

"These Astroswitches hold tremendous power," Rikka explained, taking out the Rocket Switch out from the Fourze Driver.

"The only way to defeat the Zodiarts is to turn their Switches off," Utsumi added to her explanation. "And now that you have the gist of things, I suggest you get lost."

Utsumi bent down on one knee and placed his briefcase on the ground. He opened it, revealing a makeshift computer. The screen contained schematics of the Powerdizer as he touched a few buttons on the screen.

 **"VEHICLE MODE!"**

The Powerdizer transformed into a full-on land rover as it drove itself away, presumingly back to the warehouse it came from. Utsumi got up and started walking away with the Fourze Driver still in his hands.

"Hold on, Sho," Yuta called out to him, actually calling Utsumi by his first name.

"I don't ever recall giving you permission to call me by my first name," Utsumi said, not turning around to look at Yuta.

"Formalities should be the least of your concerns right now," Yuta retorted, placing his hands on his own hips. "So basically, you need to find this person who transformed into this monster?"

Utsumi turned around to face Yuta after he heard him ask that question. He knew where Yuta was going with this. "Are you saying you'll find him?"

"That's right," Yuta answered. "Since I'm involved with this ordeal now, it only makes sense that I find this person. And once I do, I will make you acknowledge me and my methods."

"Your methods are impractical," Utsumi said back to him. "You dive head first without even thinking of a game plan."

"That may be the case," Yuta admitted. "But that has never stopped me before and it never will. And just remember that I intend to make friends with everyone in this school."

"Oh, so you went from wanting to make friends with our entire class to now wanting to make friends with the entire school?" Utsumi asked Yuta in a mocking fashion follow by a hearty laugh. "Looks like talking to this idiot was a waste of time."

Utsumi walked away from Yuta as Rikka eventually followed suit as she gave Yuta a small wave goodbye, leaving Yuta by himself. Yuta soon heard the bell ring which signaled the end of the school day, though it's unlikely that it even matters since the Zodiarts probably cause the school to close down for the rest of the day.

"Man…not the ideal way I'd hope of spending my first day of school here," Yuta said to himself giving a heavy sigh.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

The black Astroswitch that was on the ground in the aftermath of Fourze's battle of with the Orion Zodiarts was eventually picked up by what looked to be another Zodiarts. It was white with some gold plating on its body and looked to carry the motif of a scorpion. This strange Zodiarts gave a small chuckle as it held the lone Astroswitch.

* * *

 **{Space...an unknown frontier holding limitless cosmic energy.} The scene focuses on the Earth coming from a vantage point of the moon as a small spacecraft is shown on the surface.**

 **{These youths will use the Astro Switches to break into space, and forge their own futures!} The scene transitions to a bright white background, showing the backs of all members of the Kamen Rider Club. It zooms into various Astro Switches that are in front of them.**

 **{"Space on your hand!"} Each member of the Kamen Rider Club have their respective Switches in the hands as they each press of flick the buttons on them.**

 **{Now, take space into your hands too!} Yuta grabs his Switch and presses the button down with his thumb as the logo appears.**

 **(Play Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

 **{Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! FOURZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! IKOU ZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! OH YEAH!} The scene shows off Fourze from his helmet to his suit before showing the entire Kamen Rider Club in a classroom who are full of excitement.**

 **{High School kara housouchuu burger katate hungry na everyday} Yuta is sitting in his desk, alone in a classroom as he takes off his school uniform in disgust. He is then seen changing into his regular attire, later walking down the halls with a smirk on his face.**

 **{Mada mada tarinai, yume wa large-size, Come On! Switch On!} Utsumi is seen lurking outside of the facility with his Astro Switch in hand. Rikka is seen sitting in the middle of a flight of stairs, her headphones in her ears. She removes one of the earbuds, giving a soft smile. Fourze is then flying around the city with his rocket in hand.**

 **{Retro future, sonna no wa fusaiyou, omoitsuki image mirai he BLAST OFF!} The scene then shows the rest of the Kamen Rider Club individually, from Namiko, to Kenji, to Hass, and finally JK.**

 **{Koushiki nanka imi ga nai} The scene transitions to an astronomy that Yuta, Rikka and Utsumi are visiting. They observe what is inside and even toy around by each getting inside an spacesuit that is on display.**

 **{Hito no hanashi dake de shitta ki ni naranai de, kakan ni tough ni challenge!} The Kamen Rider Club are shown enjoying their spare time together, going to different areas around the city. They are then seen walking together in the hallways, passing by their teachers, Sarina Sonada and Chuta Ohsugi. It then transitions to Alexis is shown in a dark room as purple aura surrounds him, his red visor glowing in the dark. Several Zodiarts are seen beside him along with a hooded person with a gemini mask on, whose eyes are glowing a bright red.**

 **{Genkai nante bukkowashite yare jibun no te de! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoa! SWITCH ON! Kinou yori step up!} Fourze is then shown testing various Astro Switches at his disposal. The Kamen Rider Club is then seen walking across a harbor with the Powerdizer and Fourze's Machine Massigler following them along with a couple of Foodroids. Yuta then runs up and jumps in excitement.**

 **{Going gouin my friends, taikiken datte toppa shite! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoa! SWITCH ON! Tabidachi no COUNTDOWN!} Fourze on his Machine Massigler is avoiding various explosions in his way. The scene then transitions to Yuta, wearing his Fourze Driver, flipping down the Switches and transforming into Fourze. He then gets on Massigler which is attached to Powerdizer in its Tower Mode, ready to be launched into the sky. The rest of the Kamen Rider Club cheers him on as Powerdizer launches him.**

 **{Tomaranai kurai chou shigekiteki School Days! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! IKOU ZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! FOURZE YAY!} Fourze is gliding across the night sky as the scene showcases Fourze more. The scene ends with Fourze and the rest of the Kamen Rider Club on the moon taking a group photo with their club banner behind them as the logo appears one more time.**

* * *

(Later at Junk Shop Aya)

It was now the evening as Yuta decided to visit Junk Shop Aya to catch up with Rikka after she had left with Utsumi earlier. Yuta was out of his uniform and back to wearing his casual clothes, however he wore a gray shirt this time. And since her mother was being courteous, he took her up on her offer from yesterday and ordered a dessert that was on the house.

"Here you go Yuta!" Rikka's mother presented Yuta a delicious looking chocolate cake.

"Arigatou, Takarada-sama," Yuta thanked her as he grabbed a fork and started to dig in. His face brightened as he took one bite of the cake and admired at how tasty it was. "Wow, this is incredible!"

Rikka's mother giggled at Yuta's response as Rikka got back from washing dishes. She too was out of her school uniform and was wearing her casual clothes but this time she had a black apron on top of it. Her hair was also tied in a ponytail with her orange scrunchie keeping it in place.

"Oh, did you hear that, Rikka?" Rikka's mother asked her while she started heading to the junk garage. "Yuta absolutely loves your cake."

Yuta was caught by surprise as he heard that. He looked at Rikka with astonishment. "YOU made this?"

"Yeah," Rikka answered nonchalantly.

"But...I thought you said you hate calories," Yuta pointed out to her as he recalls her weird diet that he saw earlier today.

"I do," Rikka said. "Doesn't mean I can't try my hand at baking. Ironically, that chocolate cake is the only dessert I haven't burnt yet."

"Well...it's delicious nonetheless," Yuta complimented to her which made Rikka smile.

"Arigatou, Yuta," Rikka said as an alarm beeped off on her watch. "Welp, time for dinner."

Rikka then went to back of the counter for a few seconds before coming out of it, sitting next to Yuta. He noticed she had a pot in her hands which she gently placed down in front. Yuta inspected it further.

"Is that...cheese fondue?" Yuta asked Rikka. It indeed was a pot of bubbling cheese fondue along with a plate of different foods such as tiny pieces of bread and vegetables.

"Yes," Rikka answered him, not taking her eyes away from her meal, ready to chow down. "I absolutely love this stuff."

Yuta felt even more bewildered by how Rikka's diet works as he sees her starting to dip pieces of small food in the fondue and enjoying the taste.

"Would you like some?" Rikka offered to him.

"I-I'm good thanks," Yuta rejected the offer as he kept eating his slice of cake. As he was eating, he couldn't stop thinking about what had transpired earlier today.

"...Still thinking about, Utsumi?" Rikka asked him.

"What gave you that impression?" Yuta asked back, not even looking at her.

"It's written all over your face," Rikka pointed out.

"It's just that..." Yuta mumbled before speaking more clearly. "What is Utsumi's problem? I don't get it. He distances himself from nearly everyone, except you it seems. How did you two even meet in the first place?"

"That's a very long story that I don't want to get into right now," Rikka answered him. "Look, I know it doesn't seem that way by his attitude, but Utsumi actually has good intentions behind what he does."

"Like throwing away a poor girl's letter?" Yuta asked as he still doesn't forget that moment.

"You know what I mean," Rikka replied. "What you don't understand is that Utsumi feels like he has the whole world riding on his shoulders because of these Zodiarts. He feels compelled to take care of this himself."

"Well right now, that kind of mentality isn't doing him any favors..." Yuta muttered as he finished his cake.

"Just take my word for now, okay?" Rikka asked him, placing his hand on his shoulders with a pleading look on her face.

"Okay..." Yuta answered quietly as he got up. "I gotta go. Thanks again for the delicious cake."

"You're very welcome. I'll see you tomorrow," Rikka said with a pure smile as she sees him leave the cafe, before giving a tired sigh. She looked at the empty plate Yuta left. She couldn't help but chuckle as she felt somewhat of a boost of confidence because someone actually ate her dessert.

* * *

(The next day)

Yuta was making his way to the entrance of the school. As he did, he was still trying to think over how exactly he expects himself to find the Orion Zodiarts. Since this is an actual person, they could be hiding anywhere in plain sight.

"Hey stop!" Yuta heard someone call out to him, breaking his train of thought. He turned to see that it was Mr. Ohsugi who called him out. "Is your name Hibiki Yuta?"

"Yeah, that's me." Yuta answered him.

"So, you're the transfer student who's troubling Sonada-sensei?" Ohsugi asked Yuta in a stern tone in his voice.

"O-Oh..." Yuta said, remembering what happened during the first class yesterday. "A-About that, I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to cause such a commotion yesterday. Honest."

"Look...I know you've just transferred here," Ohsugi replied to Yuta. "So, I'm gonna let you off the hook for now. But if you ever disrupt her class like that again, you can bet that you will be reprimanded for your actions."

As Ohsugi said that, two black cars parked in front of the school entranceway. Two chauffeurs exited the cars and opened the back doors, revealing Kenji and Namiko from separate vehicles. Namiko was wearing her school uniform instead of her cheerleading outfit while Kenji still wore his red and black jacket. Namiko went over to Kenji and wrapped her arms around his left one.

Yuta and Ohsugi turned to see them walking forward. Ohsugi grew a big smile as he ran towards them.

"Wow!" Ohsugi said in elation. "The school's top two are coming to school together? It's like seeing a painting come to life every time."

Yuta's mouth was agape as he could not believe how Ohsugi went from acting as a stern figure to becoming an absolute suck-up towards these two. Yuta then recalled what Namiko said yesterday. She wasn't lying. She DID have this school in the palm of her hands.

"I'm surprised we still have class after the uproar created by that monster yesterday," Namiko said in boredom.

"I'm so sorry about that," Ohsugi apologized to Namiko. "This is just the principal's policy." Ohsugi then turned his attention to Kenji. "Ah, Daimonji-kun, good luck in today's match. Amanogawa High School's hopes rest on you."

"I know," Kenji said with pure confidence as he gave Ohsugi a small salute. "I will not sully our school's good name. I can reassure that."

"I'm counting on you," Ohsugi said with a wide grin.

Kenji was approached by Hiromu who bowed to him in respect. "Good morning, Daimonji-sempai!" Hiromu greeted at him. "Allow me to carry your bag."

"Sure," Kenji answered as he gladly handed Hiromu his school bag as did Namiko.

The three, along with Namiko's cheerleader friends, made their way to entering the school but stopped once they saw Yuta, who squinted his eyes at Kenji.

"Oops," Namiko said as she had her arms crossed. "It's yesterday's trash."

"Oh, so I'm YESTERDAY'S trash?" Yuta rhetorically asked Namiko. "You're lucky I'm in a better mood today than I was yesterday. But trust me when I say that I will never forget what you did to me and Rikka. And so, help me, I will pay you guys back for that someday." Yuta threatened them which got a scoff from both Namiko and Kenji.

Yuta then collected a sigh to calm down.

"But right now, I have other matters that are more important," Yuta continued speaking. "I'd like to ask you about that monster. You guys wouldn't happen to know anything about it, now would you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kenji asked, raising an eyebrow at Yuta's accusation.

"Hey cut it out!" Hiromu said to Yuta, intervening in the conversation. "You're being rude to the two of them!"

"Ignore the trash," Kenji said calmly. "Let's go, Namiko-chan."

The two walked past Yuta along with their posse which made Yuta sigh in disappointment as he was hoping to at least get some information regarding the Orion Zodiarts. However, unbeknownst to Yuta, from a far distance was the girl with the flu mask from yesterday that was observing him during that fight in the cafeteria. She was hiding behind a tree as she was a clutching a tablet against her chest as she stared at Yuta, like she was drawn to him.

* * *

(Later)

Somewhere outside of the school were the stereotypical delinquents, playing cards and betting on money. They hollering and laughing in an obnoxious manner until they were approached by Yuta, who gave them a friendly wave.

"Hey guys!" Yuta greeted them. "If you have any time to spare, I'd like to ask you about something."

"Eh?" One of the delinquents asked in a confused manner.

Only a few minutes later, Yuta ended up barking on the wrong side of the tree as he was now rough housing with these degenerates. Yuta kept knocking them down one by one with ease.

"I just wanted to ask you if there were any suspicious people around here!" Yuta yelled as continued defending himself against them.

The same girl with the flu mask was peeping from a corner outside of a building, watching Yuta fight. She squinted her eyes, marveling at him. She then noticed the flamboyant teen from yesterday walk next to her and gave a giddy laugh as he too was observing Yuta now. She turned to look at him in a puzzling matter seeing the smile on his face when looking at Yuta. Seems like she isn't the only one whose interest has been caught by Yuta.

Yuta nailed the last standing delinquent with one more punch to the face as the delinquent fell in comedic fashion. Yuta sighed in disappointment as he failed once again in trying to obtain any sort of information about the Orion Zodiarts and where this person could possibly be. This is a lot harder than he thought it was gonna be.

He noticed someone walking towards him, turning his head to see who it was. He was surprised to see that it was Utsumi, who didn't look impressed by Yuta as he saw everything that went down.

"What a brainless man," Utsumi spewed out. "Look at you go, diving head first without even thinking twice. Just like I said. All you're doing is wasting your time."

Yuta noticed something in Utsumi's hand. It looked to be a toy hamburger, which made Yuta slightly profounded. Utsumi opened up a side of the toy, revealing and open slot.

"You need to scout the entire school first," Utsumi recommended as he took out an Astroswitch and placed it inside the toy, before getting down on one knee and placing it on the ground. "Go, Burgermeal."

The toy burger transformed into a tiny little robot before going off to scout the school, following Utsumi's order.

"I will stop the Zodiarts," Utsumi proclaimed to Yuta as he stood back up. "You can't do it."

"Hey, I don't know if you were blind yesterday, but I defeated that thing before," Yuta reminded him.

"And there's a chance you never will again," Utsumi responded back as he walked away, leaving Yuta by his lonesome.

Yuta clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in anger as he was starting to be very agitated towards Utsumi. He didn't like being talked down to by someone who is as emotionless as Utsumi. Yuta wasn't going to give up on this, he feels now that he HAS to find the Zodiarts first before Utsumi can.

* * *

(Elsewhere)

The same white Zodiarts with the scorpion motif was actually walking on the campus grounds. No one looked to be outside as he was walking. Eventually, this Zodiarts looked to be in front of someone. He held the black Switch from yesterday in his hands, showing it to the person. The white and gold Zodiarts gave a devious chuckle as he handed the Switch to this unknown person.

* * *

(In Sonada's Class)

Sonada looked to see two empty seats in the back of her classroom. Those seats belonging to Yuta and Utsumi. Rikka however was in class this time, as she grew nervous when Sonada looked at her with an irritated expression on her face.

"Utsumi-kun is in the infirmary AGAIN?" Sonada asked Rikka. Rikka slowly and hesitantly nodded at her teacher's question. "But what about the transfer student?" Sonada asked her further.

"I'm sorry, Sonada-sensei," Rikka answered truthfully. "I wish I could tell you if I knew where he was."

"Eh!?" Sonada asked before coming to the assumption. "Is he cutting class already!?" Sonada gave an audible groan as she started venting out her frustrations for a few seconds.

Rikka looked at Yuta's desk. She hasn't seen him all day today, but she had a gut feeling that he was somewhere in the school. It didn't take her but mere seconds to figure out where Yuta could really be at the moment.

"Dammit, Yuta..." Rikka muttered to herself.

* * *

(In the Rabbit Hatch)

Yuta entered through the rusty locker and made his way to this Hatch. He started searching around to find any sort of information about the Orion Zodiarts or what leads there are into finding him. He searched the entire place, looking through papers, shelves, etc. Even messing around with some of the tech inside, pressing random buttons in hope they would give him something but he had no luck.

Yuta saw a small red switch which he flipped and heard a beep go off. He then looked to see that it had actually opened a hatch that revealed a window. A window that contained a view of the Earth. Yuta was startled immediately as he saw this.

"What the...?" Yuta was asking himself taking a closer look at what he was seeing. "No…that can't be...Is that...?"

Yuta kept denying, trying to tell himself that it was just a picture until he saw stars pass by. Revelation soon hit Yuta like a ton of bricks. This was real. He's is actually standing on the moon. He is in space right now. But with this revelation also raised a ton of questions for Yuta. How is it possible for a dingy, rusty old locker to be a portal to the moon?

His train of thought was soon derailed again as he heard the door to the Rabbit Hatch open, revealing Rikka who had an unhappy look on her face towards Yuta.

"Why, oh why, did I have a feeling you'd be here?" Rikka asked Yuta, with her arms crossed.

"Umm..." Yuta tried to come up with an answer. "H-Hey, aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"Class ended minutes ago, Yuta," Rikka answered, her expression not changing, looking at Yuta like a mother about to scold her child.

"H-How did you know I would even be here?" Yuta asked her further.

"One, I haven't seen you all day today," Rikka answered. "And two, the lock to the storage room broke which is how I'm able to get in here right now. Care to explain that to me?"

"Utsumi was the only one who had a key," Yuta responded trying to defend himself. "I had to get in here somehow."

"You still came here without permission!" Rikka yelled at him. "What are you even doing here?"

"I'm just trying to see if I can figure out where that monster is," Yuta explained.

"Did you HAVE to act like a thief in the process?" Rikka retorted.

"...I just don't want to lose to Utsumi." Yuta said which earned a scoff from Rikka.

"Yuta, you've got to let this go," Rikka demanded. "You are doing yourself no favors by keeping this grudge with Utsumi further."

Yuta ignored her demand as he proceeded to change the topic. "Speaking of explaining..." Yuta pointed at the exposed window with the view of the Earth. "Care to explain THIS to me?"

"THAT Yuta is the Earth," Rikka answered. "The full name of this place is the MOONBASE Rabbit Hatch. The power of the Astroswitches connect the school to the surface of the moon."

Yuta turned around to take one more look at the window, feeling even more astonished now with Rikka confirming his assumption. "So, we really ARE on the moon…"

Rikka gave a short sigh as she proceeded to unbutton her blazer, setting it on the ground along with her tie. Yuta eventually noticed this which immediately spooked him.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Yuta asked Rikka in a nervous tone while she just gave him a blank look.

"I'm changing." Rikka answered nonchalantly. "You should probably change out of your clothes too."

Yuta grew a big blush on his face. He felt like he was dreaming when he heard her say that. He gained a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his own scalp.

"U-U-Umm...R-Rikka," Yuta said, his face gaining a darker shade of red. "I-I just moved back here two days ago...and we didn't have much time to really catch up with each other. D-Don't get me wrong. I-I always thought you were beautiful, b-but I'm not ready for something like this. I-I need more time to think. A-And hopefully when that times comes-"

Yuta was slapped across the face that felt like the max force of a truck. Yuta felt enormous pain as he looked at Rikka who had a blush on her face too, but it was more so out of embarrassment and anger as she looked like she wanted to murder Yuta now.

"NOT THAT, YOU PERVERT!" Rikka yelled at the top of her lungs. She walked to another room as Yuta was trying to process what just happened.

A few seconds later, Rikka came back with what turned out to be two white spacesuits. Because she was still angry, she hurled one of them at Yuta. "Put this on!" She yelled at him.

Yuta catched the suit as he noticed Rikka still looking at him dead in the eyes as if she really wanted to strangle him right at this very moment. Yuta gave another nervous laugh, but not out of embarrassment, out of fear for his life.

"Heheh..." Yuta muttered. "O-Oops. My mistake..."

After a few minutes of changing into astronaut gear, the two were now outside and walking on the moon. The moon's gravity made their time there longer than it would be as the two made small jumps to move forward. Rikka still carried over her angry demeanor from earlier, not even wanting to speak to Yuta. Yuta could feel the tension as he tried keeping a fair distance from her as an awkward silence went on for a few minutes.

"R-Rikka..." Yuta spoke through his space helmet. "A-About what happened-"

"Stop. Talking." Rikka spouted at him which made Yuta even more nervous.

The two were now in front of a steep hill. Rikka used the moon's gravity to jump high enough to make it to the top.

"Come on," Rikka gestured him to follow her. Yuta nodded as he jumped the highest he could go. He had some trouble making it to the top until Rikka grabbed his arm during mid-jump and helped him get over the steep hill. "Be careful, the moon is a sixth of the gravity as on Earth," Rikka warned him.

"R-Right," Yuta replied. "Thanks for the save."

The two were then met with an even taller hill as the two made their way up.

"Astronauts entrust their lives to their partner," Rikka stated, starting to open up to Yuta again. "It shows they have absolute faith in each other."

Rikka and Yuta were near the top as Rikka turned to look at him. "I suppose becoming friends with Utsumi is similar to that," Rikka remarked which made Yuta gain a look of doubt.

"I'm not sure if I even WANT to be his friend anymore..." Yuta muttered. Utsumi has been one tough egg to crack. Yuta has been able to make countless amounts of friends over the years during his travels. Due to his frustrations, Yuta was starting to feel the urge to do something he never though he'd do in terms of making a new friend: give up.

Rikka then placed a hand on his shoulder which caused him look at her. "Why do you think I told you how to use Fourze, Yuta?" Rikka asked him.

Yuta was a bit perplexed with what Rikka was asking him. Was there more to her telling him how to use it, other than just destroying the Zodiarts?

"I did it because I figured you could help Utsumi," Rikka confessed which took Yuta by surprise. "Even in elementary school, you always worked harder for your friends than yourself...Why change that now?"

Yuta recollected about those memories. Yuta went through thick and thin to make friends with just about everyone he met. From the obnoxious, to the timid, any challenge Yuta had faced, he overcame and made those friends. She was right. Why should Yuta stop now? Utsumi may be one of his toughest challenges yet, but that doesn't mean he should just give up. It would go against everything he has stood for up until now.

"Even though you still have that mentality," Rikka added further. "You're much different now than the last time we met."

Yuta paused for a brief moment, taking Rikka's words to heart before the two ventured on through until they approached a giant crater which had Yuta taken aback. It looked like an endless abyss.

"Woah...what is this?" Yuta asked.

"Remember yesterday when I told you that Utsumi feels like he has the whole world on his shoulders?" Rikka asked back, prompting Yuta to nod before contuining. "This is the crux of that reason...Utsumi's father died here many years ago..."

"...What?" Yuta asked at this new information he's hearing.

"His father was using Cosmic Energy to develop the Astroswitches," Rikka explained further. "But villains seeking to use them for evil killed him..." Rikka turned to look at the crater with a pitiful look. "This is the aftermath of their attack..."

Yuta was stunned by all of this. Utsumi's father was murdered on the moon. He didn't have the chance to make it back home, or even say goodbye to his son one last time before his time was up. It all was making sense for Yuta now, as he felt heavy amounts of guilt and sympathy weigh on his shoulders.

"Utsumi happened to find the gate to the Rabbit Hatch, receiving his inheritance from his father," Rikka added more for Yuta to understand. "Along with the Fourze Driver and the Astroswitches."

"Utsumi's father...was Fourze?" The red-haired teen asked his childhood friend further as she nodded.

"Yes. That's why Utsumi believes it's his job to stop the Zodiarts from using the Switches' powers for evil," Rikka answered.

"So that's what he's been doing..." Yuta said as he now felt ashamed of himself for ever feeling angry towards Utsumi. "...I feel like such an asshole now."

"It's not your fault Yuta," Rikka tried reassuring. "You didn't know. But this is the burden that Utsumi has been bearing...a heavy burden."

"...But that doesn't mean he has to deal with this burden alone," Yuta quietly stated as he continued staring at the crater, all that was left of that wreckage.

* * *

(Back on Tsutsujidai City)

A minivan was parked on the side of the road near a football stadium. The doors of the van slid open, revealing Kenji and Namiko, along with their posse. They made their exit and made their way to the stadium. However, what they were not aware of was the girl with the flu mask was hiding behind a wall, watching them, her tablet still in her hands.

She had an uneasy feeling in her eyes, she felt as if something was wrong. Like something dreadful is about to occur.

* * *

(Elsewhere)

A student was riding a motorcycle on a dirt track, wearing his safety gear, helmet included. This motorcycle had a peculiar design as it was pure white with black highlights. The layout of the bike looked to be inspired by a rocket as the front looked like the cone of a rocket and the back of it was the motor of a rocket. This bike had a name and it was known as the Machine Massigler.

The student riding it was going around the track multiple times, not stopping for a break. However, after the tenth time going through it, he stopped in the middle of the track, breathing heavy underneath his helmet. The student raised up the visor of the helmet, briefly to catch his breath, revealing to be Utsumi who's been riding this strange bike.

"I need to at least master Machine..." Utsumi said to himself, trying to gain some self-confidence. He lowered the visor back down before revving up the engine and driving around the track once more.

"Utsumi! Wait!"

Utsumi turned to see who was calling out to him. He was surprised to see Yuta who was on a bicycle, pedaling his way towards Utsumi. Utsumi kept going as Yuta finally caught up with him.

"I lose, Utsumi!" Yuta said which made Utsumi briefly lose his focus as he heard that. "You're right! I can't figure this out by myself!"

"So, you admit defeat?" Utsumi asked him as the two were now trying to keep up with each other in the dirt track.

"Yes!" Yuta responded. Utsumi just couldn't believe what he was hearing right now.

"But if you admit defeat, you won't win my approval," Utsumi pointed out to Yuta.

"I don't care about that anymore!" Yuta went further. "I don't know who the monster is or where he's hiding! I can never replace you!"

"As long as you get it, don't bother me again!" Utsumi responded as he started going faster, being ahead of Yuta. Yuta, stopped in his own tracks, trying to catch his own breath.

He looked to see Utsumi make it all the way around the track, making this the eleventh time in a row he's done it today. Utsumi soon kept going until stopping in front of Yuta. He turned off the engine and took off his helmet.

Rikka eventually arrived at the scene as the two boys noticed her. She looked at Yuta from a far, giving him a nod, which prompted Yuta to make a proposal to Utsumi.

"I can't replace you..." Yuta admitted once again. "But that doesn't mean I can't HELP you!"

"What are you saying?" Utsumi asked him.

"I know Utsumi..." Yuta answered him in a sympathetic tone. "I know about the burden you bear..."

Utsumi's eye widened as he turned to Rikka. "You told him everything!?" He yelled at Rikka, which startled her.

"She told me AFTER I broke into the Rabbit Hatch," Yuta added, trying to put the brunt of Utsumi's anger on himself.

"You did what!?" Utsumi exclaimed in pure surprise.

"Yes. It was very stupid of me, I know," Yuta also admitted as Utsumi got up from his bike.

"You bastard!" Utsumi said to Yuta, grabbing him by his collar but Yuta wasn't flinching.

"But as it is now," Yuta continued to say to Utsumi further, not breaking eye contact with him. "...can you really do what you want by yourself!?"

Utsumi starting to become very contemplated with himself now as Yuta asked him this question. He read Yuta's face, he wasn't messing around anymore, he was genuinely serious.

"Please Utsumi..." Yuta further said. "Let me do what I can to help you!"

Utsumi was now starting to question himself as he remembered what happened yesterday. His body was too weak to even use Fourze. As much as he despised Yuta for taking care of the ordeal in his stead without his consent, he still managed to save the school from the Orion Zodiarts. Yuta wanted nothing in return, he didn't want money, he didn't want answers to tests, he didn't want anything. Yuta defeated the Orion Zodiarts because he felt it was the right thing to do.

Utsumi released Yuta's collar as he looked away from him, still contemplating with Yuta's offer. Until suddenly, Yuta's phone goes off as the red-haired teen takes it out and checks the caller ID. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?" Yuta asked as he answered the call.

"Hibiki...Yuta-kun...?"

"Who is this...? How did you get this number...?" Yuta asked furthermore.

Rikka approached the two as Yuta was still on his phone conversating with this unknown caller.

"What!?" Yuta exclaimed as this person kept telling Yuta something. "Really!?...Just wait! I'll be right there!"

"What is it Yuta?" Rikka asked him as he disconnected from the call.

"I think we finally got a lead on the monster," Yuta answered which sparked Rikka and Utsumi's interest. "It was a girl and she said she may know who it really is."

"What?" Utsumi asked him.

"She said if I want to know more, I have to go to the stadium," Yuta explained as he proceeded to make a run for it quickly.

"H-Hey!" Rikka yelled out to Yuta as she went after him, both of them racing towards the stadium. "Yuta, wait!"

Meanwhile, Utsumi was left alone, still thinking about Yuta's offer for help. For so long, he's had to deal with this issue himself. Never did he turn to anyone for assistance...maybe, just maybe, is it time for that to change?

* * *

(At the stadium)

Yuta and Rikka finally made their way to the stadium as they entered a parking lot. The two searched for anyone there until they spotted a girl with a flu mask. Yuta approached her, inspecting her from head to toe. This girl suddenly felt shy and nervous by just being near the two, specifically Yuta.

"Are you the one who called?" Rikka asked her as the girl nodded her head. "And your name is?"

"H...Hass..." the girl answered. "N-Nozama H-H-Hass."

"Why did you call me?" Yuta asked her.

"Because I s-saw you searching for that monster," Hass explained to the two. She looked up at Yuta, pointing at him as she had a shift in attitude as her voice slightly deepened. "You...I thought you were amusing...So I thought why not help..."

Yuta started feeling uncomfortable by the way Hass was looking at him. "Were...were you stalking me?" Yuta asked her out of hesitation.

"I wouldn't say 'stalking' is the right term..." Hass denied his question, though specifically about it being considered stalking. "I would say I was more so...watching...observing...admiring..."

Yuta slowly walked back a step or two away from Hass, while Rikka tried getting this conversation back on topic.

"So how did you find out who the monster is?" Rikka asked Hass. How was it that this strange girl could figure out what Yuta and Utsumi couldn't?

"The threat to destroy the school," Hass answered her. "I looked up the IP address of that message..."

"...Wait, are you a hacker?" Yuta asked her. That could explain how she was able to obtain Yuta's phone number.

"Hacker is such a dirty term for me," Hass responded with disdain. "I would prefer myself as more of an analyst."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Yuta asked her with a forceful way, which shifted Hass's personality back to being a frightened girl.

"I-I wasn't sure!" Hass quivered. "Th-That's why I kept watching..." The two looked at each other briefly, both unsure if they could trust Hass or not. But at time like this, they have to take what they can get. They had a mental agreement, before looking back at Hass.

"So, who's the monster?" Yuta asked her with seriousness behind his voice.

* * *

(Inside)

The jocks were amped up and full of energy as others, who weren't in their gear accompanied them in support. And behind everyone, was Kenji who was mentally prepared for the game, ready to honor the school's name.

Coming out the same corner, Kenji came from, was Hiromu who was following him but unlike the jocks, he was actually wearing his school uniform. He followed Kenji...but not as a friend. Hiromu had a look in his eyes like he was wanting to hurt Kenji. He was silent for a few seconds, watching Kenji.

"Daimonji-sempai..." Hiromu called out to him.

Kenji turned around, confused as to why Hiromu was following him. "Why are you here?" Kenji asked him. "I thought I told you to stay behind and clean the team's room."

Hiromu grew a devious smirk as he walked toward Kenji, getting closer to him. "I know," Hiromu responded to him. "But here's the thing Sempai...you're not appearing in this game."

Kenji could feel the tension in the air as he became wearier of Hiromu's behaviour. "What are you up to, Miura?" Kenji asked his lackey.

"...This is your fault," Hiromu barked back as his smile turned into a frown. "You've always treated me like garbage!"

Hiromu took out a familiar black Switch with silver etchings with a red button on it. As he pulled it out, Yuta, along with Rikka and now Hass, arrived just in time.

"Stop, Hiromu!" Yuta called out to him.

"You..." Hiromu muttered as he recognized him.

"I know what you're trying to do, Hiromu," Yuta said to him. "Trust me, it's not worth it! Throw that Switch away now!"

It was at that moment, Hiromu knew the jig is up. His identity is know exposed as he slowly started to throw a fit of rage.

"I...I just wanted to play football!" Hiromu yelled as he turned to Kenji, donning a face of pure malicious harm and intent. "Despite that...you've never once let me touch the ball!"

"Then impress this asshole through football!" Yuta suggested to Hiromu. "This is not the way to go! You shouldn't be relying on that kind of dangerous power! Rely on your own strength!"

"Shut up!" Hiromu exclaimed back to Yuta. "I'm going to make him pay, even if it's the last thing I do! Even if it means destroying this damn school!"

"If you want to take your frustrations out on someone, then take it out me!" Yuta proposed which grew concern from Rikka and Hass.

Hiromu was perplexed with what Yuta and his statements. "Just who exactly are you...?" He asked him.

"My name is Hibiki Yuta," He responded. "And I intend to befriend everyone in Amanogawa High School! No matter how difficult the challenges may be! I will overcome each and every one of them!"

Rikka grew a smile as it looked like her words are getting through to Yuta. Here he is refusing to give up, just like the Yuta she's always remembered.

"What is this monkey show?" Kenji scoffed as he pushed Hiromu hard against the wall. "What can you do with that Switch?"

Hiromu grew angrier and angrier as his sanity was waning with each passing second. Suddenly, a noise came from the black Switch.

 **"LAST ONE"**

Hiromu heard the voice and looked down on the Switch in his hands. It was consumed by dark aura, evolving into what appeared to be its true state, growing small spikes and the red button becoming bigger. Yuta and the two girls noticed this as the atmosphere grew bleaker.

Kenji looked down at Hiromu, full of arrogance and superiority. "Garbage should hang out with other garbage!" Kenji said, insulting Hiromu to no end before leaning down to look at Hiromu at an equal eye level. "You're off the team, Miura..." Kenji declared, with a cocky smirk on his face.

It was the last straw for Hiromu as he was now sent off the deep end. He pushed Kenji away as he pressed his thumb down on the red button of the Switch.

"Hiromu, no!" Yuta yelled out to him before Hiromu was absorbed by a dark cloud of smoke.

Blue lights shined from the smoke as Kenji immediately became frightened as he fell down on his rear from the shockwave caused by the smoke as it dissipated. Once the smoke cleared, the Orion Zodiarts appeared once more, as Hiromu's body fell limp, covered in what looked like spider webs, like he was their prey. However, the Orion Zodiarts appeared to be more menacing than ever as it had noticeably heavier armor. Hass's eyes grew wide at the sight of the Zodiarts as Kenji started freaking out at seeing Hiromu's limp body.

"Daimonji!" The Orion Zodiarts spoke. "You're the only one I can never forgive!"

Kenji screamed out of fear, scooting away from the Orion Zodiarts while Yuta gritted his teeth.

"You idiot!" Yuta exclaimed as he charged towards the Zodiarts, trying to land punches and kicks but quickly realized that he doesn't have the Fourze Driver with him.

The Orion Zodiarts threw Yuta against a wall, causing him to groan in pain at the impact. While he was preoccupied, Rikka quickly rushed to Kenji's aid helping him up and dragged him to hide in a corner along with herself and Hass.

Yuta was being tossed around like a ragdoll by the Orion Zodiarts. Yuta tried recovering at every possible chance he had but the Zodiarts would not let up on him. It truly felt like a one-sided affair. Rikka, Hass and Kenji watched on, with their heads poking out of the corner of the aisle. Rikka felt so afraid for Yuta as he kept getting pummeled by the Orion Zodiarts.

Just when all seemed to be going the Zodiarts's way, an unexpected guest shows up to the party with his suitcase and Fourze Driver in hand.

"Hibiki!" Utsumi yelled as he ran over towards the downed teen. "Quickly! Use this!"

Yuta looked to see the Fourze Driver before looking up at Utsumi in pure bewilderment.

"Sho?" Yuta asked as he stood back up. He then grew a smile on his face. "You-"

"However," Utsumi interrupted him. "Don't ever say my first name so casually."

"Even during a time like this, you're still nitpicking me," Yuta chuckled, shaking his head.

Yuta then turned his attention to the Orion Zodiarts. He slowly walked to him before stopping. He took one last look at the Fourze Driver before gaining a confident smile.

"Let's do this!" Yuta said with full energy as he placed the Fourze Driver around his waist. He flipped all the Switches down and prepared to transform.

 **"THREE! TWO! ONE!"**

"Henshin!"

Yuta pulled the lever and raised his right arm up in the air, vapour coming out of the belt and consumed by a white light, turning into Fourze.

Kenji and Hass were astonished to see this happening, while Rikka had a grin on her face.

"You know I gotta say..." Fourze said as he crouched down for a split second before raising both arms in the air. "UCHUU KITA!"

Nothing but silence came afterwards as everyone around Fourze couldn't fully grasp what Fourze was doing.

"...That sounded a lot better in my head..." Fourze muttered in embarrassment.

"Don't get in my way!" The Orion Zodiarts warned Fourze as he got out a weapon of his own, a metal blade colored silver and black. Orion charged full steam ahead towards Fourze.

"You know I can't let you do this!" Fourze declined as he tried pushing the Orion Zodiarts back.

"Then you are my enemy too!" The Orion Zodiarts proclaimed as he tried swinging his weapon at Fourze, only for him to swiftly dodge them.

"Very well then," Fourze said, not backing down from this fight. "Let's settle this man-to-man!"

As they were clashing with each other, Kenji was completely taken aback by what he was seeing. He slowly started backing away from the scene. "I didn't see a thing," Kenji said which had Hass and Rikka slightly confused. "You guys handle the rest." Kenji gave them a small salute before immediately running away to catch up with his teammates.

Rikka just shook her head in disgust as Kenji ran off. She's always thought of him as a coward, from the moment she first saw him together with Namiko. She never understood what her former best friend ever saw in him.

Fourze was starting to hold his own against the Orion Zodiarts but noticed the Zodiarts's attacks are doing a lot more damage to him than the last time they encountered each other.

"This guy's more powered up than before!" Fourze points out as Utsumi inspected the enemy.

"That's the final form of the Zodiarts!" Utsumi explained to him, while observing the battle.

"Well what should I do!?" Fourze asked Utsumi, kicking the Zodiarts away briefly. "Give me instructions!"

"Eh?" Utsumi tilted his head in confusion, as the Orion Zodiarts actually nailed a hit on Fourze but Fourze quickly recovered.

"You know about his powers better than me!" Fourze answered to Utsumi while dodging more swings from the Zodiarts. "Make a plan and I'll follow it!" Fourze was now in a struggle with the Zodiarts as his punches were being blocked by a shield attached to the Zodiarts's left arm. "This time I'll do it properly! You call the shots, not me!"

Utsumi was surprised by what Fourze was saying, he wasn't kidding. Fourze is willing to follow Utsumi's instructions now, no arguments, no proposition, nothing. Utsumi took a while to think things through before gaining a small smile that was full of courage.

"I understand," Utsumi answered as he got down on one knee and took out his toy hamburger again. He took out a Switch and placed it inside its open slot and pressed the button on it, transforming the burger into its Foodroid form.

Utsumi then placed his briefcase on the ground and opened it up, revealing his makeshift computer. The Foodroid scanned the Orion Zodiarts and the data was immediately transferred to Utsumi's computer to inspect him.

"Hold him off while I make a plan," Utsumi instructed Fourze.

"That's a lot easier said than done!" Fourze responded as the Orion Zodiarts was relentless, not letting Fourze catch a break. This battle was becoming more tedious for Fourze as the he managed to grab a hold of the Orion Zodiarts, dragging him out of the aisle.

Utsumi continued analyzing the data the Foodroid provided for him as Rikka was relieved at the sight of him and Fourze, finally working together

* * *

(Outside)

Fourze and the Orion Zodiarts were now brawling in the parking lot outside of the stadium. Fourze used a nearby car to help gain the strength to push back the Orion Zodiarts, nailing more punches and kicks. Unfortunately, it still didn't damage him as the Zodiarts responded by hitting Fourze with his weapon again. The strike actually sent Fourze flying up in the air briefly, going over the car and crash-landing on the roof of it and rolling down on the ground.

Fourze groaned as he sat up, looking around to see if there was anything he could use. He immediately noticed, Utsumi's motorbike, the Machine Massigler, behind him. Fourze got up and immediately rushed to the bike, turning it on.

"Sweet!" Fourze exclaimed as he got on, revving the motor. "I'm sure Utsumi wouldn't mind if I take this for a spin!"

Fourze went full throttle as Massigler ignited its rotor, causing him and the bike to gain some traction and jump in the air by a few feet, going head first in the Orion Zodiarts. Massigler actually nailed a hit on him with its cone, as the Zodiarts fell to the ground. Fourze immediately turned around as the Zodiarts got back up. He drove Massigler further to attack him again with the Zodiarts now getting the brunt of the front wheel to his chest.

The Orion Zodiarts flew back a few feet and crashed against the side of that nearby car. Fourze turned Massigler around once more and revved the motor to max, as the rotors ignited once more, blasting the Orion Zodiarts with its fuel. The fuel become hot enough to explode the lone car with the Zodiarts getting damaged from it.

Fourze went for another attack with Massigler's assistance as he ignited the rotor once more to launch him off the ground. He immediately got off the bike in mid-air and used his hover pack on the back of his suit to land a powerful kick against the Zodiarts's chest.

He gained the upper hand by walloping the Orion Zodiarts in rapid fashion before pushing him down on the ground. Suddenly, the Radar Switch went off with its ringing, prompting Fourze to turn it on.

 **"RADAR ON!"**

Fourze's left arm now had the mini satellite radar attached to it. He brought it close up for him to see the screen on said radar, revealing Utsumi who was still inside the stadium.

"Hibiki, I figured it out," He explained to Fourze. "Orion Zodiarts's Switch is in the left side of his chest. You must take the Switch and turn it off."

Fourze looked back at the Orion Zodiarts's staring at its chest while the Zodiarts stood back up on his own two foot, now completely enraged.

"However," Utsumi warned Fourze. "Finishing him off is very dangerous."

"Why do you say that?" Fourze asked him, recalling the last time he defeated Orion.

"The Zodiarts has built up energy since the last time you fought it," Utsumi explained. "If he blows up here, it'll damage the stadium too."

"What am I supposed to do?" Fourze asked Utsumi further, now becoming more anxious of how the outcome of this battle will now play out due to this new information.

"Simple," Utsumi responded, giving a small smirk. "Take the battle to the sky."

"Come again?" Fourze asked in confusion looking up at the sky, trying to make sense of how exactly he's suppose to do that.

Utsumi pressed a few buttons as a voice emerged from his computer.

 **"VEHICLE MODE!"**

 **(Play Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

Fourze turned around to see Powerdizer making its way towards him.

"Quickly," Utsumi instructed again. "Set Massigler in the Powerdizer."

"Understood," Fourze accepted as he rushed back to the rocket inspired bike.

Powerdizer transformed itself into what appeared to be a launchpad. Fourze took Massigler and aboarded on to the pad.

 **"MACHINE SET!"**

"Alright," Utsumi mumbled as he pressed a few more buttons which activated missile launchers that were attached to Powerdizer. The missile targeted Orion and nailed their target, sending him airborne by couple of meters.

 **"TOWER MODE!"**

Powerdizer soon raised its launch pad up with Fourze and Massigler still ontop of it.

 **"READY!"**

"W-Wow," Fourze said in awe as he heard a countdown, causing him to brace himself and clenched the handle bars of the bike.

 **"THREE! TWO! ONE!"**

Fourze throttled the motor again.

 **"BLAST OFF!"**

Massligler launched up like a rocket up in the air which earned a scream of excitement from Fourze. Massligler soon made contact with the Orion Zodiarts, piecing its cone against his chest, still flying up even further up in the air.

The speed of the bike increased exponentially as in breakneck speed, Fourze and the Zodiarts broke away from the atmosphere of the Earth and were now in space. The gravity immediately waned as the two separated with both of them now floating. Fourze soon jumped off of Massigler and activate the orange and yellow Switches on his belt.

 **"ROCKET ON!"**

 **"DRILL ON!"**

Fourze was now equipped with his orange Rocket on his right arm and his yellow Drill on his left leg, and still had his Radar attached to his right arm. He reached to pull the lever on the Fourze Driver.

 **"ROCKET DRILL RADAR! LIMIT BREAK!"**

Fourze was now in a sidekick position as he flew towards the Orion Zodiarts.

"ROCKET DRILL SPACE KICK!" Fourze yelled out as his yellow Drill pierced through Orion's chest, causing him to explode in defeat. Fourze turned off the three Switches while he grabbed the strange black Switch Hiromu used to transform.

 **(End Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

Fourze then felt the Earth's gravity and atmosphere pull him back in as Fourze was now falling through the air at supersonic speed. He started panicking as he tried checking to see if he had anything to help him out of this predicament.

He checked the small compartment on his belt and found a new Switch. It was colored green and had the number 7 on it. He quickly removed the Radar Switch and replaced it with this green one.

 **"PARACHUTE!"**

Fourze immediately twisted the Switch to turn it on.

 **"PARACHUTE ON!"**

Suddenly, Fourze's left arm ejected a parachute which slowed Fourze's velocity, saving him from a deadly landing. Fourze was now facing at a view of Tsutsujidai City, slowly descended from the sky as he gave a heavy sigh of relief.

* * *

(Back at the stadium)

Fourze made his way back to the stadium to reunite with the others, with the black Switch in hand. He pressed the red button on it, which resulted in it dissipating in Fourze's hands.

Once he did, Hiromu began to stir, slowly waking up. Utsumi and Rikka had relieved expressions on their faces as Hiromu tried sitting up but had a little trouble of doing so.

"Now that the Switch is destroyed, his consciousness has returned to his body," Utsumi remarked as Fourze crouched down to meet to look at Hiromu who had an expression that screamed of shame and regret.

"Hey," Fourze said to him with a stern voice. "I'm sorry with what happened, I really am. But what you did is not the way to resolve these issues."

Hiromu stayed silent, mentally kicking himself down, agreeing with Fourze at how stupid his decision was. Had he gone through with it entirely, he would've been just as bad as Kenji, if not substantially worse. That kind of image in Hiromu's head didn't sit well with him.

"But I will say one more thing," Fourze continued to speak. "You don't need so-called friends who treat you like garbage. How about I be your friend instead?"

"R-Really?" Hiromu asked him, completely shocked by what Fourze asked him. Even after everything he did.

"Absolutely," Fourze answered, his tone shifting to a bright, cheerful one.

It took a few seconds to think about it, before nodding his head, accepting Fourze's companionship.

"But for now, we need to get you to a hospital," Utsumi recommended.

"Right," Fourze agreed as he and Rikka helped Hiromu up.

"Ka...Kamen Rider!"

The trio turned to see Hass, whose had a stunned look in her eyes as she took a closer look at Fourze.

"Excuse me?" Fourze asked.

"I...I saw urban legends..." Hass explained. "L-Legends about them on the Net..."

Hass showed the three the screen on her tablet which had footage of masked men fighting evildoers.

"A-Anonymous masked heroes who would save cities from danger," Hass explained further. "They would be called...Kamen Riders."

The tablet then focused on two of these enigmas known as Kamen Riders. One was in a gemini-like getup with one half colored green and the other colored black, fighting a monster. And next to that video was a separate one that showcased a black Rider with its helmet red, its torso yellow and its legs green. This Rider was fighting a different monster before killing it with a special attack with its sword.

"Kamen Riders!" Rikka exclaimed as her face brightened at the sight of this footage. Seems like she knows who they exactly are.

Utsumi looked back at Fourze who didn't know what to think about this. Fourze deactivated all four Switches in his Driver, reverting back to Yuta.

"So...would that make me...Kamen Rider...Fourze?" Yuta asked before he gained a smirk on his face. "I kind of like the sound of that."

* * *

(Back at the Rabbit Hatch)

Yuta and Rikka were sitting around for a while as Yuta wrote down Hiromu's name in his book full of various other names.

"Hiromu...Miiiiiuuuuuuraaaaaaa..." Yuta muttered loud enough for Rikka to noticed his book.

"Wait, you actually write all the names of the people you befriended?" Rikka asked him, a bit disturbed by this.

"Well yeah," Yuta answered nonchalantly. "I don't ever want to forget the names of those I befriend. Plus I like to think of this book as a time capsule for me."

Yuta then notices Utsumi approach him and was elated when he handed him the Fourze Driver.

"From here on out, I'm letting you hold on to this," Utsumi said to Yuta, earning a cheeky grin in response.

"Alright!" Yuta exclaimed in joy.

"You did it, Yuta," Rikka congratulated her friend. Yuta turned to her, still with his cheeky grin as he offered her a handshake. Rikka giggled as they commenced the Handshake of Friendship.

Yuta then shifted his attention back to Utsumi. "So, I guess this means we're friends now too, right?" Yuta asked optimistically, holding out his hand to him.

"Just because I'm accepting your help, does not count us as being friends," Utsumi declined, smacking Yuta's hand away.

"What a stubborn guy you are," Yuta remarked, brushing off Utsumi's rejection. Yuta got out his book again and proceeded to write down his name. "Sho...Uuuuuuttttsssuuuuummmiiiiii...Got it."

Utsumi saw this and turned to Rikka who just shrugged at him, not trying to come up with anything clever to say about this.

"By the way, one more thing," Utsumi said as he proceeds to point near the ceiling of the Hatch. "Can someone explain to me what this is?"

Yuta and Rikka turned to see what Utsumi was pointing towards exactly. It was a banner that was nailed onto the Hatch. This banner was white with what presummed to be a symbol representing Fourze. There was also kanji lettering attached to it along with the initials "KRC" underneath the symbol as well as the name of Amanogawa High School.

"Oh," Yuta proceeded to explain to Utsumi as he walked towards the banner. "THIS is the banner to represent the Kamen Rider Club."

"The what now?" Utsumi asked in a perplexing manner.

"It's a club that exists to protect this school from monsters," Yuta explained.

"And I am the first member," Rikka added. "You should join too, Utsumi."

"Yeah," Yuta agreeing with her. "Join us. It'll be a lot of fun, I guarantee it."

Utsumi's attitude immediately shifted back to being irritated by Yuta's antics. "On second thought, I change my mind," Utsumi declared as he was now chasing Yuta who immediately started running away. "Hibiki, give me back the Fourze Driver!"

"No!" Yuta refused. "You entrusted me with it!"

"Not anymore!" Utsumi retorted. "Give it back to me!"

"No! Screw you!"

"Hibiki! I'm serious!"

Rikka gave a small laugh as she watched the two boys bicker. She then noticed Yuta's book full of names on the ground, he must've accidentally dropped it. Since neither were paying attention to her, she picked it up and opened it. She found countless names in this book, stunning her to no end. She grew more curious as she flips the pages back to the first one...and saw her name marked as number 1.

Even though she was briefly disturbed when finding out about this book, Rikka grew a warm smile on her face just by seeing her name in it. She was marked as Yuta's first friend. It shouldn't mean as much as it should to Rikka, but in her mind it truly did. She couldn't help but feel happy, knowing that she is Yuta's best friend through and through.

She closed the book and placed it down on a nearby desktop computer before looking back at the boys who kept arguing. The warm smile on her face did not go away, as she had a feeling in her gut that this could be the start of a beautiful friendship between these two.

* * *

 **The scene focuses on Rikka's phone, which had headphone plug-in attached to it. Her thumb presses the 'Play' button.**

 **(Play A Town in Blue by Asian Kung-Fu Generation)**

 **Rikka is seen walking through various parts of Tsutsujidai City. From alleyways, to school hallways, to the streets, all with her eyes hiding underneath her hair.**

 **{Mada samenai yume ga makuramoto de boku ni tachi shita} The scene showcases parts of Tsutsujidai, from the Amanogawa High School, to parks to train stations.**

 **{Asa no nioi machi ga ugokidasu gamen no tenkiyohou} Rikka is seen walking across a harbor, unbeknowst to her something was flying past her a ridiculous speed. This turned out to be Fourze who flew past her as Fourze was charging towards various Zodiarts and Powerdizer soon joined the fray, helping out Fourze. Meanwhile Rikka just stands and watch as it zooms into her face which had a deadpan expression.**

 **{Hibi ni negai motome ubai atte sekai wa datti-rou} The scene focuses now on Rikka who was in class reading her space book and her earphone in her ears as Yuta was sleeping and Utsumi having this annoyed look towards Yuta.**

 **{Meguri ai fureru kimi no subete ga boku no ai no mahou} The scene focuses on Rikka who is enjoying lunch with Yuta and the rest of the Kamen Rider Club.**

 **{Namariiro no machi nezumitachi no nigoru buruu} The scene transitions to Alexis, his red visor glowing. It also focuses on various Zodiarts and even the hooded masked female, whose eyes were glowing.**

 **{Boyaketa nibui kodou mune ni nokoru wazukana shirosa yo} Yuta was standing on top of a skyscraper, wind blowing through his red hair. He had his Fourze Driver around his waist. He ran and jumped off the skyscraper before pulling the lever, transforming into Fourze in mid-air and activating his rocket.**

 **{Tarinai kokoro wo mitashitakute kakedasu! Hajime no ippo ne de keshiki sae mo KIERU YO!} Fourze was fighting multiple Zodiarts, using various Switches with Powerdizer acting as his shield. From a far distance the rest of the Kamen Rider Club, Rikka included, cheering them on.**

 **{Miageta sora kara ato tadotte oikakeru} The scene transitions to Fourze fighting Alexis in a hard-hitting battle, knocking lumps out of each other. Alexis gaining the upper hand as Fourze started losing stamina.**

 **{Kimagure na kumo ni kimi no kao ga UKABU YO! KITTO!} Fourze was then had a special Switch which he activated, causing him to be consumed by a white light which blocked Alexis's vision briefly. Alexis looked to see Fourze who was completely white, his form unknown as Fourze flew like a bullet towards Alexis. The scene suddenly transitions to a close up of Rikka's face as her eyes open.**

 **{Kitto...} Rikka was laying down she on top of a hill, underneath a tree. She stood up, a bit weary.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto} Rikka turned to see a magnificent view of the city before walking away.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto} It was nighttime as Rikka was now near a vantage point at a park, which had another wonderful view of the city, with the city lights making it more breathtaking.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto} Rikka still had a deadpan look on her face, headphones still in her ears. She then felt something weird. She turned her head to see Yuta was next to her. He decided to join her on her sightseeing.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto...} Yuta had a smile on his face, looking at the city before looking up and staring at the night sky. Rikka looked up at the sky as well, and was now donning a smile on her face too as they both enjoyed the magnificent night sky with beautiful looking stars and constellations that complimented it.**

* * *

 **AN: And there's the official start to the new story! As I've mentioned, since I'm not the main writer, these chapters will be updated more frequently.**

 **Anyways, please** **review or send PMs for questions, comments, or concerns. Don't be afraid to review this chapter, send questions, or look at my other fics. Also, a bit of a shout-out to SonicHeroXD, please look at his stuff on DeviantArt. It's really good.**

 **SonicHeroXD:** **Thank you very much, Spartan. I'm very excited to be doing this collaboration with you and I'm hopeful that your fanbase will enjoy this as much as the other Rider stories.**

 **Alright, I'm done; goodnight.**


	3. The Fair-est of Them All

**AN: Hey guys, Spartan and SonicHeroXD here and we're about to bring you another chapter of ! Just to be clear, since SonicHeroXD is the main writer here, uploading chapters for this story will not affect my writing schedule in any way outside of the usual stuff. So now, Showtime!**

Disclaimer: Neither of us own Gridman or Fourze.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Fair-est of Them All

It was early in the morning, class was only an hour away from starting and the newly formed Kamen Rider Club decided to spend this spare time in the Rabbit Hatch. Utsumi was in his laboratory, typing and pressing certain commands and buttons as a lone Astroswitch was now being scanned inside a small glass chamber, surrounded by a green light.

Meanwhile, Yuta who was now in his Fourze suit was observing the other Astroswitches as Rikka watched the inspection of the lone Switch in its chamber.

"I was left with 41 of Fourze's Astroswitches," Utsumi said on a whim. "Those are the ones we can use."

Fourze slowly reached out to touch the other Switches displayed out of curiosity, only for his hand to be smacked away by Rikka.

"Knock it off, Yuta," Rikka said calmly, granted the slap to his hand was anything but as Fourze felt the sting last for a couple of seconds.

"Or at least they should've been 41..." Utsumi continued. "There are currently 5 Switches missing from our arsenal. Who knows where they could've gone to or if they're even on this planet."

Utsumi kept typing away, as he explained further to Fourze, with a blueprint of Fourze's suit on Utsumi's computer screen, with its left leg lighting up on the display. "All that's left is to test and adjust the rest of the 36 Switches in order to make them usable for you."

A few more seconds passed by as the scanning was complete. Utsumi reached over to open the glass chamber and take out the Astroswitch. It was colored pink and had the number 9 on it. Utsumi turned around in his chair and presented it to Fourze.

"Number 9, Hopping Switch," Utsumi showed to him. "Try using this in battle."

"You got it," Fourze said as he accepted the Switch, kindly taking it from Utsumi's grasp.

"Shouldn't you give it a test run first to see if it works?" Rikka suggested to Fourze. It would make sense for Fourze to test it now in case if any mishaps were to happen in the future.

"Yeah, good idea," Fourze agreed with his best friend as he went over towards a door that led to what looked to be a testing chamber. "But have no fear about this, Rikka. Just know that I will use this for the sake of the Kamen Rider Club." Fourze points to the club's banner with pride which earns a groan from Utsumi.

"That club doesn't exist," Utsumi muttered to the both of them which earned a look of annoyance from Rikka.

Fourze entered the testing room of the Hatch which its only source of light were two light tubes and a glowing base, all had a green tint to it. There was also a display window for observers to see through, which in this situation would be Utsumi and Rikka.

"Don't worry, Sho," Fourze was reassuring his new friend. "If you can't do it, I will."

"I thought I told you not to say my first name so casually," Utsumi reminded him, with hints of irritation underneath.

"But for now…" Fourze said as he took out the Drill Switch and replaced it with the new Hopping Switch.

 **"HOPPING!"**

"Switch on!" Fourze finished his sentence as he pressed down the pink Switch.

 **"HOPPING ON!"**

Fourze's left leg was now connected with a tiny pink pogo stick emerging, lifting him up in the air by a foot. The Hopping Module immediately started causing Fourze to bounce like a rubber ball, ricocheting across the entire testing room uncontrollably. Rikka cringed at this sight while Utsumi gave a heavy sigh.

"The Hopping Switch isn't usable," Utsumi came to the conclusion. "Adjusting it was a waste of time..." He went back to his computer as Rikka cringed some more at Fourze's struggle until his momentum came to a screeching halt, landing back first on the floor.

Fourze groaned in slight pain as he sat up, recollecting what he just heard Utsumi state. "Waste of time?" He asked in confusion.

(Later)

Yuta and Rikka exited the dingy locker. Yuta was rubbing the back of his head as he still felt slightly dizzy from bouncing all over the testing room. They exited the storage room which had a brand-new doorknob on it, however it didn't have a lock on it.

"You sure you're okay?" Rikka asked him as she couldn't help but slightly chuckle.

"I said I'm fine," Yuta reassured her. "I will get the hang of that Switch one way or another for Utsumi's sake."

"If you say so, but please don't overdo it," Rikka said in a precautious way. "The last thing I want is for you to be bouncing up who knows how many feet up in the air, crashing and burning."

The two exited the restricted facility of the school and kept walking towards the center of the campus. They looked to see a plethora of students gathering around in front of a bulletin board with posters with Namiko's face on them. They also noticed many other students holding tiny rally signs that also had Namiko's face on them too.

Yuta had a look of curiosity on his face, wondering what all the fuss is about. However, that wasn't the same with Rikka. She had this bitter look on her face, not enjoying what was in front of her.

"What's all this ruckus about?" Yuta asked Rikka, not even noticing her attitude about this.

"If you must know..." Rikka proceeded to explain to him. "These students are excited for the Queenfest..."

"Queenfest?" Yuta asked back as he turned to now notice Rikka's disinterest.

"Yes...It's a school tradition to annually vote as a cohesive unit and pick Amanogawa High School's top female student..." Rikka further explained, her facial expression not even changing at the slightest.

"You...don't seem too fond of this," Yuta remarked to her, pointing out the obvious.

"Let's just say the Queenfest and I have a really bad history together..." Rikka replied, her bitterness now turning into low key anger. "...I'd rather not talk about it."

"Well...is there anything that usually happens in the Queenfest?" Yuta asked further, though this time out of hesitation.

"Well, first the school judges a performance," Rikka answered. "Second, they judge a speech. They then decide based on these two points."

Yuta was a bit nervous to ask this next question but felt he should at least know something. "Did you...participate in this before?"

"No. Gods no." Rikka denied his assumption. "I feel like it's a gigantic waste of time. Plus, I know I would never stand a chance."

"Why say that?" Yuta asked, now the nervousness immediately shifting into curiosity.

"Well, I know this year's queen is obviously going to be Namiko..." Rikka muttered in more bitterness.

"Are you jealous of her?" Yuta asked again which cause Rikka to almost blow a gasket.

"Jealous?" Rikka asked in disbelief. "Why would I be jealous of Namiko? I'm not petty, Yuta."

"So then why did you two stop being friends?" Yuta asked back to Rikka. He recalls Rikka stating to him that she and Namiko use to be friends some time ago. So, what happened? What truly set the two apart?

"There's just some things I really don't want to talk about right now..." Rikka crossed her arms, looking away from Yuta. Yuta inspected her and noticed a hint of sadness spreading across her face.

"I-I'm sorry," Yuta apologized to her. "I didn't mean to drone on for this long. I was just curious is all."

"It's fine..." Rikka said, accepting his apology. "It's not your fault."

"But...as your best friend, I should at least deserve an explanation," Yuta said to her, calmly. "Friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other."

Rikka looked back at Yuta, her sadness still spreading. "Just...Just give me some time and I'll explain the whole story to you, okay?"

"I will hold you to that," Yuta answered in a caring manner.

"Namiko-sama!"

The two then heard a student yelling in excitement as Namiko and her two friends were now walking heading towards one of the school's facilities. All of the students went over to them, handing Namiko gifts, however she wasn't accepting them herself as her friends did it for her. Namiko noticed Yuta and Rikka watching her, both having stern faces which she brushed off with a smirk.

Yuta eventually decided to take it upon himself and approach the three which made Rikka weary about what he's getting himself into. Yuta was now in front of the them, metaphorically blocking their path.

"Aren't those presents for you?" Yuta asked her as Namiko's smirk eventually faded into a small frown of annoyance. "If it were up to me, I'd accept them personally. Perhaps a 'thank you' would also be generous."

"Oh?" Namiko asked, crossing her arms. "You dare voice an opinion to me?"

"Yeah! Know your place, trash," Namiko's friend to her left insulted at Yuta. She had brown, long hair with curls at the tip and had maroon eyes. Her name was Yuko Sakuma.

"I'm not trash," Yuta replied, still being cool and collected. "Like I said before, the name is Hibiki Yuta. And I intend to befriend everyone in this school. Including you, Namiko."

That statement earned laughs from everyone except Rikka.

"Who do you think you are, eh? Unbelievable." Namiko's friend to her right laughed at Yuta. She has dark brown hair that was tied in a side ponytail, with her bangs still hanging. Her name was Hana Shigeno.

Hana had a banana in her hand that she had just finished eating. She proceeded to throw the peel at Yuta which was successful as it was now resting on his shoulder, which caused everyone to laugh even more. Rikka meanwhile was absolutely disgusted by this as Yuta took the banana peel and tossed it aside.

"Oh really?" Yuta asked, his demeanor not affected by the embarrassment. "I will make the impossible possible, no matter how long it takes me. You'll be my friend soon Namiko."

"What nonsense," Namiko scoffed at. "I am the queen. Now and in the future."

"But let's just say this year things could be different," Yuta points out. "And you're not the queen."

Namiko laughed again at Yuta even speaking that kind of outcome. "Me, no longer queen?" She asked him. "That is truly unbelievable."

Yuta slowly approached her, Namiko not intimidating by this action. The two were nearly nose to nose at this state. "Wanna bet on that?" Yuta asked back which made Namiko slightly squint her eyes at him with malice.

"If you lose the title of queen in this year's Queenfest, you will become my friend," Yuta proposed the bet to her.

"...Fine," Namiko accepted. "BUT...if you lose, no…WHEN you lose, you'll never show yourself before me again. And you will transfer from this school."

Rikka was taken completely by surprise by what Namiko was proposing back to Yuta. Transferring out of the school? Yuta JUST got here. There's no way he could possibly-

"Fine by me," Yuta accepting Namiko's offer.

"E-Eh!?" Rikka exclaimed out loud as Namiko and Yuta had a small stare-down, Yuta now gaining a smirk of his own. He held out his hand in an act of sportsmanship only to be rejected as Namiko and everyone else walking past him.

Yuta gave a heavy sigh as he was met with a push by a furious Rikka.

"What are you, crazy!?" Rikka yelled at him, which had briefly startled Yuta. "Dammit, Yuta! Why would you agree to that!?"

"Sorry," Yuta apologized to her again as he took out of his pocket the Hopping Switch from earlier, looking down on it. "But you won't know unless you try."

* * *

 **{Space...an unknown frontier holding limitless cosmic energy.} The scene focuses on the Earth coming from a vantage point of the moon as a small** **spacecraft is shown on the surface.**

 **{These youths will use the Astro Switches to break into space, and forge their own futures!} The scene transitions to a bright white background, showing the backs of all members of the Kamen Rider Club. It zooms into various Astro Switches that are in front of them.**

 **{"Space on your hand!"} Each member of the Kamen Rider Club have their respective Switches in the hands as they each press of flick the buttons on them.**

 **{Now, take space into your hands too!} Yuta grabs his Switch and presses the button down with his thumb as the logo appears.**

 **(Play Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

 **{Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! FOURZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! IKOU ZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! OH YEAH!} The scene shows off Fourze from his helmet to his suit before showing the entire Kamen Rider Club in a classroom who are full of excitement.**

 **{High School kara housouchuu burger katate hungry na everyday} Yuta is sitting in his desk, alone in a classroom as he takes off his school uniform in disgust. He is then seen changing into his regular attire, later walking down the halls with a smirk on his face.**

 **{Mada mada tarinai, yume wa large-size, Come On! Switch On!} Utsumi is seen lurking outside of the facility with his Astro Switch in hand. Rikka is seen sitting in the middle of a flight of stairs, her headphones in her ears. She removes one of the earbuds, giving a soft smile. Fourze is then flying around the city with his rocket in hand.**

 **{Retro future, sonna no wa fusaiyou, omoitsuki image mirai he BLAST OFF!} The scene then shows the rest of the Kamen Rider Club individually, from Namiko, to Kenji, to Hass, and finally JK.**

 **{Koushiki nanka imi ga nai} The scene transitions to an astronomy that Yuta, Rikka and Utsumi are visiting. They observe what is inside and even toy around by each getting inside an spacesuit that is on display.**

 **{Hito no hanashi dake de shitta ki ni naranai de, kakan ni tough ni challenge!} The Kamen Rider Club are shown enjoying their spare time together, going to different areas around the city. They are then seen walking together in the hallways, passing by their teachers, Sarina Sonada and Chuta Ohsugi. It then transitions to Alexis is shown in a dark room as purple aura surrounds him, his red visor glowing in the dark. Several Zodiarts are seen beside him along with a hooded person with a gemini mask on, whose eyes are glowing a bright red.**

 **{Genkai nante bukkowashite yare jibun no te de! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoa! SWITCH ON! Kinou yori step up!} Fourze is then shown testing various Astro Switches at his disposal. The Kamen Rider Club is then seen walking across a harbor with the Powerdizer and Fourze's Machine Masslinger following them along with a couple of Foodroids. Yuta then runs up and jumps in excitement.**

 **{Going gouin my friends, taikiken datte toppa shite! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoa! SWITCH ON! Tabidachi no COUNTDOWN!} Fourze on his Machine Masslinger is avoiding various explosions in his way. The scene then transitions to Yuta, wearing his Fourze Driver, flipping down the Switches and transforming into Fourze. He then gets on Masslinger which is attached to Powerdizer in its Tower Mode, ready to be launched into the sky. The rest of the Kamen Rider Club cheers him on as Powerdizer launches him.**

 **{Tomaranai kurai chou shigekiteki School Days! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! IKOU ZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! FOURZE YAY!} Fourze is gliding across the night sky as the scene showcases Fourze more. The scene ends with Fourze and the rest of the Kamen Rider Club on the moon taking a group photo with their club banner behind them as the logo appears one more time.**

* * *

(Later)

Class was almost about to start as Yuta was sitting next to his friends. Rikka was just finishing a rundown of what happened between him and Namiko to Utsumi. Utsumi hid his own face in his hands, absolutely exasperated over Yuta's decision to poke the bear, being Namiko.

"Why on earth did you agree to those terms?" Utsumi asked, removing one hand from his face.

"Okay okay, I admit, I may have bitten off more than I can chew," Yuta said. "But I am not one to back down from someone like Namiko."

"I swear you get stupider and stupider with each passing day," Utsumi spewed out, shaking his head in disgust.

"Gee, thanks for your support." Yuta sarcastically retorted at Utsumi.

"You really think you'll find someone who can be able to dethrone Kazashiro Namiko?" Utsumi asked.

"There are tons of girls in this school," Yuta said, staying optimistic about this. "I'm sure there are plenty of them that would be delighted to try."

"I don't think you understand the gist of it, Yuta." Rikka rebuffed at his optimism. "Namiko has won the Queenfest for the past 2 years."

"So, what?" Yuta asked her. "Anything can change in 2 years."

"What happened earlier says otherwise," She pointed out, reminding him of the students surrounding Namiko in delight when she appeared.

"You two are being overdramatic," Yuta calmed responded. "Trust me, I'll find someone. Anyone."

While the three were inside, other students were walking outside the facilities of the school, chatting with each other. Unbeknownst to them, the same strange white Zodiarts from a few days ago was wandering around without ever being noticed. It was observing the environment for a couple of seconds before continuing on. Just when it did, it gave a small chuckle, with many devious thoughts running through its mind.

* * *

(Around Lunchtime)

Yuta went around the campus asking girls one after another. Asking them if any would have the interest in participating in this year's Queenfest. However, Yuta soon discovered that many did not want to take his proposition. Many laughed at his request, while others cowered in fear at the thought of competing with Namiko.

Yuta was now outside, slouched over and down on his knees in defeat. He couldn't find anyone so far that were willing to help him. If he couldn't find anyone in time, the next few days could result in him actually leaving Amanogawa High School. He was now becoming very stressed out as he was now thinking of what his parents might think. They were the ones who filled out the paperwork for him to get transferred here. He didn't even want to think about how they'll react when they learn about the bet in general.

Not just that, but what about the Kamen Rider Club? If he leaves, what does that mean for the safety of the school itself with Zodiarts causing mayhem? Yuta was berating himself as he truly didn't think about the negative aspect of this aftermath regarding the bet. He had to find someone and someone quick.

"Is there not ANYONE who can help me!?" Yuta asked, screaming up to the heavens. "ANYONE!?"

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You really got yourself in a pickle here, don't you?"

Yuta was briefly startled as he turned around to see the source of the voice. Yuta stood up and looked over to see that it was the same flamboyant teen who was observing him for the past few days.

"Yo!" He called out to Yuta as he approached him. "We've never been formally introduced. I'm the information dealer, JK! It's written J and K, but pronounced 'Jake.'"

"Jake?" Yuta asked him while tilting his head. "Why not just spell it J-A-K-E? Like a normal name?"

"Normal is not my thing," JK explained. "I'm extraordinary!"

"...Um..." Yuta paused as he didn't know what to make of this.

"So, you were asking about the Queenfest, was it?" JK asked Yuta as continued walking further to him, getting back on topic.

"Yes, I was," Yuta answered, hope beginning to spark back inside of him. "Are there any candidates who can compete with Kazashiro Namiko?"

"No way," JK answered as he held his hand in front of Yuta's face. "No chance of anyone dethroning her."

"There has to be SOMEONE who can," Yuta said. He has to win this bet by any means necessary.

JK had a few seconds to think things over until something popped in his head. He looked back at Yuta and gave him some questionable gestures, as if he was wanting something offered to him.

"How about we do a game of 'give and take'," JK proposed to Yuta. "I'll give YOU info, so what'll you give ME?"

"Give you?" Yuta asked, prompting JK to nod. "Umm...how about...I give you friendship?"

JK was contemplating for a few seconds, before shaking his head. "Eh, sorry. I'm not really interested in befriending a piece of trash."

Yuta then grabbed JK by the collar, staring at him with pure malicious intent. JK gulped as he started growing afraid.

"Friendship...We have a deal?" Yuta asked again as his voice grew more intimidating.

"I-I suppose...that can be valuable," JK responded in a timid manner. Yuta grew a wide smile as he then grabbed JK by the neck his right arm as he dragged him.

"W-W-Wait!" JK exclaimed at Yuta, trying to escape the hold. "Not the hair! You'll ruin my hair!"

Yuta and JK were now in the lower-class hallways, scouting across to find someone who could compete with Namiko. JK caught Yuta's attention and gestured him to follow. The two hid behind some lockers and found a freshman with curly black hair walking across the halls.

"First-year, Hirota Reiko," JK explained to Yuta as they kept observing. "She could probably be a match for Kazashiro."

Yuta and JK soon followed her to the classroom she was in and were trying to convince her to participate in the Queenfest. Reiko became very hesitant about their request.

"Why me?" Reiko asked the two upperclass men. "I'm not entering this year's Queenfest anyways."

"Please. PLEASE do it," Yuta said to Reiko, clasping his hands together as he was now literally begging her to do it.

"No way," Reiko rejected. "Not like I can beat Kazashiro-sempai anyways."

"You're younger," Yuta said. "You should have bigger dreams."

"You can't just live on dreams anyways," Reiko retorted at him.

"However..." JK chimed into the conversation. "...if you came close to Kazashiro-sempai in the Queenfest, your stock would go up."

"R-Really?" Reiko asked, now intrigued at what JK pointed out.

"Th-That's right!" Yuta answered as he continued coaxing Reiko into participating. He looked back at JK, giving him a thankful nod.

"I want additional payment by the way," JK said which made Yuta nervous.

"Payment? That wasn't a part of the deal," Yuta said.

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours," JK said with a cocky demeanor. "Unless you prefer doing this on your own."

"F-Fine, I'll get you covered!" Yuta replied, succumbing to JK's demand. "...Greedy bastard."

JK was about to retort until he started freaking out at what he was now seeing. Yuta and Reiko were confused by his reaction until the turned around and noticed a stick of chalk floating in the air, making kanji letterings on the board which translated to, "Don't enter the Queenfest!"

As the message was completely written, Reiko was suddenly pushed down to the floor. No one pushed her, it was if it was an invisible force. Yuta quickly rushed to her aid to check if she's unharmed.

"Are you alright?" Yuta asked her. She nodded only for both of them to thrown across the classroom by this invisible force. JK immediately started freaking out as he took cover, hiding behind the desks.

Yuta and Reiko soon got back up only to be met with this strange force beginning to emerge from its imperceptible state.

"S-Something's coming! Get out of here!" Yuta warned Reiko as she complied with his demand as she made a run for it, exiting the classroom.

Yuta stood back up, taking out his Fourze Driver and placing it around his waist. He flipped down all the switches and prepared to transform. What he forgot however was JK hadn't left the room. He noticed the belt the red-haired teen was wearing, raising an eyebrow in wonder.

 **"THREE! TWO! ONE!"**

"Henshin!"

Yuta pulled the lever and raised his right arm as vapour emerged, along with a white light, transforming into Kamen Rider Fourze. The transformation actually helped Fourze as the vapour was strong enough to reveal the force's identity. It was a bizarre green creature which is presumably a Zodiarts, taking the form that resembles a chameleon.

"UCHUU KITA!" Fourze yelled out, raising his arms up in the air, only for nothing but awkward silence which made him embarrassed at himself. "Maybe I should start rethinking about a new catchphrase...No matter, let's settle this man-to-man!"

Fourze charged at the Chameleon Zodiarts, winding up for a punch, only to get knocked back by an unknown assailant. Fourze was a bit groggy by that attack but got back up to see the culprit who gave him the cheap shot. It was the white Zodiarts that was lurking around the school. Upon further inspection, it looked to be covered in a regal black robe covering its body. Its red eyes starting at Fourze as Fourze felt a strong presence amongst this Zodiarts, one that gives him the impression that they are not to be taken lightly.

"So, there's two of you?" Fourze asked as he regained his composure.

"Go..." The white Zodiarts ordered the Chameleon as it exited the room.

"Stop!" Fourze yelled as he tried going after it, only to be thwarted by this white Zodiarts, nailing him with strong kicks that launch Fourze against a wall.

"Don't get in my way!" Fourze exclaimed at the white Zodiarts as he tried fighting back only to be greeted by more swift kick, launching Fourze back again. Fourze soon found a way to exit the room only for the white Zodiarts to give chase.

JK emerged from the desks, with a perplexed look on his face. "...What the heck was that just now!?" He soon felt something grab him and push him against the window, revealing to be Utsumi who had a stern look on his face.

"You're Utsumi-san..." JK muttered to him.

"You better not say ANYTHING to ANYONE about what you saw," Utsumi threatened him.

"I-I get it." JK reassured him, growing a nervous grin. "Actually, how about I just not get involved?"

Utsumi proceeded to let go of JK as he immediately rushed outside to find Fourze. Meanwhile JK regained his cocky demeanor as he grew a devious smirk on his face. He was far from walking away from what he just witnessed.

* * *

(With Fourze)

Fourze and the white Zodiarts made their way outside of the school. Thankfully no students were around, so Fourze had nothing to hold back against this beast. He tried attacking it again but the white Zodiarts got the upperhand again as it grabbed a hold of Fourze and gave him another rough kick that sent him flying a few feet.

Fourze sat up, trying to recover as he sees the which Zodiarts remove its black robe, revealing its body which was almost all black covered in white pieces of armor. It resembled the appearance of a scorpion as it had gauntlets which resembled pinchers. It also had a red orb on its chest which start glowing along with multiple blue orbs that were aligned on his body. Together they made the Scorpio constellation.

"Well this just got interesting..." Fourze remarked as he charged at this Zodiarts, trying to find some way to nail a punch or kick. The Zodiarts just found every way to counter Fourze's attack, striking him with kick after kick. Fourze was becoming very irritated as the Zodiarts was much faster and swifter than him. Fourze was hitting nothing but air with his attacks as the Zodiarts was relentless with its flurry of strikes.

"I'm starting to REALLY hate those kicks! Do you seriously not know ANYTHING else!?" Fourze yelled at the white Zodiarts. It gave a chuckle as what looked to be a scorpion tail stretched from the back of its head and pierced an attack on Fourze launching him back to the ground.

"Me and my big mouth..." Fourze mumbled to himself as he was becoming groggier from fighting this Zodiarts.

Eventually, Utsumi arrived at the scene, seeing Fourze struggle in this predicament. He turned his head to see the white Zodiarts. He gulped as he recognizes the appearance.

"The Scorpio Zodiarts!?" Utsumi muttered as he gained a tense feeling in his gut. "He's on a completely different level..." Utsumi looked back at Fourze who was slowly standing back up.

"Don't use brute strength!" Utsumi instructed Fourze. "Use the Switches, they will help you!"

"Oh, right!" Fourze remembered as he legitimately forgot what he had in his arsenal. He opened the compartment in his belt and took out the Hopping Switch.

"Wait, that's-!" Utsumi shrieked as Fourze replaced the Drill Switch and replaced it with the Hopping Switch.

 **"HOPPING!"**

Fourze then proceeded to push the button down on the pink Switch.

 **"HOPPING ON!"**

Fourze's left leg was once again encapsulated with the Hopping Module. However, things didn't go the way he expected to this time as the pogo stick went haywire again as Fourze was losing his balance. He tried recomposing himself but with each bounce, Fourze was gaining more and more altitude. Suddenly after a few attempts, one more spring caused Fourze to soar high about half a mile in the air.

Utsumi gave a sigh in disappointment, shaking his head at Fourze's idiocy. Meanwhile, the Scorpio Zodiarts placed his black robe back on and proceeded to leave this battle on his own will, sparing Fourze from further dominance. A few seconds later, Fourze made his way back down, crash landing on the ground.

Utsumi walked towards the downed Rider as Fourze was groaning in more pain.

"Everything okay?" Utsumi asked him half-heartedly.

"My back hurts like hell, but I should be fine..." Fourze groaned again, removing the Hopping Switch from his belt, rising back up to his feet.

"Not you, idiot," Utsumi said as he pointed at the belt. "I was referring to the Fourze Driver."

"What the-?" Fourze asked, feeling hurt mentally from that statement. "That's cold man, stone cold."

"Give me back the Hopping Switch," Utsumi demanded, grabbing it from Fourze's hands. "See how useless this trinket is now?"

"No!" Fourze rebuffed his claim, snatching it back from Utsumi. "This Switch has use, I know it does."

"It's a waste of time," Utsumi argued back.

"NOTHING in this world is a waste of time, Utsumi!" Fourze retorted back at his friend. "I know this firsthand from my journeys prior to coming here."

Fourze walked away, going to find Reiko and see if she was alright. Utsumi tried stopping him but his headache came back, clenching his forehead in agony.

Meanwhile from the distance, the hooded girl with her gemini mask was observing the fight between Fourze and the Scorpio Zodiarts. The Scorpio Zodiarts noticed her and approached her.

"How long were you intending on standing there?" The Scorpio Zodiarts asked her.

"As long as it took to study Fourze," She answered.

"Quite frankly, you're wasting your time at the moment," The white Zodiarts stated. "He is nowhere near the kind of level he should be with that kind of power."

"If that's the case, why didn't you just kill him on the spot?" She pointed out to him.

"Right now, it's essential that he stays alive for the time being. Trust me," The Scorpio Zodiarts explained to her.

"The longer we do, the more powerful he will become," She retorted.

"There's nothing wrong with a fun challenge," The Scorpio Zodiarts answered before walking off with the hooded girl following suit shortly after.

* * *

(With Yuta)

Yuta caught up with Reiko outside of the campus and unfortunately, due to what had transpired earlier, Yuta's hopes dwindled.

"I don't understand what's going on!" Reiko yelled in fear after seeing the Chameleon Zodiarts.

"Pl-Please calm down," Yuta suggested, trying to make her relax.

"No! Forget it! I'm not entering the Fest if it means getting attacked again by whatever that thing was!" Reiko said, declining Yuta's previous proposal which made him panic.

"Wh-Wh-What!?" Yuta frightenedly asked. "N-No, you have to enter this competition!"

"I said no!" Reiko shouted.

The two then noticed someone watching them, turning their heads to see Namiko who was wearing track gear that consisted of a red and black tanktop along with black yoga pants. Reiko immediately grew more afraid at the sight of the reigning queen. Namiko had a look of confusion on her face briefly until she immediately caught on to what was happening from the moment she notice Yuta.

"A-Ah, N-Namiko-sempai!" Reiko stuttered. "G-Good luck on the Queenfest! I will d-definitely be voting for you!" Reiko scurried away from the two upperclass students. Yuta turned to see Namiko, who scoffed at his failure.

"Trying to set up a rival candidate?" Namiko asked, belittling Yuta. "Looks like you've wasted your time. If I were you, I'd start packing..."

Namiko turned away and continued jogging as Yuta clenched his fist. He wasn't ready to give up to someone as arrogant and narcissitic as her.

' _In that case..._ ' Yuta thought to himself. He had to find someone and someone fast. Only one person clicked in his thoughts. Although it won't be easy to convince this person, he has to at least try.

* * *

(Later at Junk Shop Aya)

Rikka was out of her uniform and into the black apron as she was washing the dishes. She was on her last plate until she heard someone shriek with excitement.

"Oh Rikka!" Her mother called out. "Come look at this!"

Rikka turned off the sink and cleaned her hands with a towel before going over to her mother who looked to have a cake in her hands.

"What is it, Okaa-san?" Rikka asked in curiousity.

"I finally did it!" Rikka's mother said with glee. "I finally nailed this cake!"

Rikka inspected the said dessert. It was a unique cake that has icing of multiple colors. The icing replicated that of decorative flowers. Icing flowers not only covered the top portion of the cake but the entire circumference as well. Rikka smiled at the sight of this sweet beauty.

"It took me forever, but I nailed these flowers!" Rikka's mother said with self-confidence. "What do you think, pretty cute right?"

"Yes," Rikka agreed with her. "The cake looks very cute."

"But to me..."

The mother-daughter duo shifted their heads to see the source of the voice, revealing to be Yuta. He too was out of his uniform and wearing his normal getup. Yuta had a cunning smile on his face as he stared at Rikka.

He pointed to her and said with full conviction. "...you're cuter."

Rikka froze, questioning herself if she really did just hear that come out of Yuta's mouth. Her mother on the other hand grew a giddy grin.

"Have you hit your head way too many times today?" Rikka asked him. Yuta took his hands and did a mock of a camera taking a photo. Rikka grew a slight blush though she herself didn't know if it was embarassment or exasperation...perhaps both.

"You are VERY cute..." Yuta stated which earned delighted giggles from Rikka's mom as she patted her daughter's shoulders. "Which is why you must enter the Queenfest!"

Rikka's blush faded as she was now more perplexed by what Yuta was now wanting from her.

"What!?" Rikka puzzlingly asked him.

"Great!" Yuta said, without Rikka not even having a say in the matter. "It's decided! Trust me, you're gonna do great Rikka!"

"Oh, you're finally entering the Queenfest, Rikka?" Her mother asked. "That's wonderful! You've always had a lovely singing voice."

"No no no no no no no!" Rikka shook her head rapidly, declining Yuta's suggestion.

"Yes yes yes yes yes yes!" Yuta replied back, nodding his own head in a rapid pace. "You can do it. You're the only one who can save me from this pinch."

"Pinch?" Rikka's mother asked Yuta. "What kind of situation did you get into?"

"Ummm..." Yuta muttered, not wanting to tell her the full details.

"Oh, I see," Rikka's mother realized. "This is a personal matter between you two. Don't worry, I'll leave so you can to work it out together."

Rikka's mother went to leave the cafe lounge but not before whispering words of wisdom and advice to her daughter. Rikka grew back her blush for a brief moment before pushing her away to leave. Her mother snickered as she left the room. Rikka regained her composure before looking at Yuta in a strict manner.

"Yuta, I am not going to help you get out of an ordeal YOU got yourself into," Rikka said, rejecting Yuta's plea.

"Come on, Rikka!" Yuta begged. "Please, if not for me, do it for the Kamen Rider Club!"

"This has NOTHING to do with Kamen Riders!" Rikka rebuffed him.

"Actually, it does..."

Rikka looked over behind Yuta to see Utsumi at the front door of the lounge with a Switch in hand.

"We're counting on you to enter this Queenfest, Rikka," Utsumi said which disconcerted her.

"Utsumi, not you too!" Rikka uttered in pure disbelief.

"Just hear us out," Yuta pleaded.

"Besides Hirota Reiko, there are two other possible Queen candidates," Utsumi explained to Rikka. "They've been absent for about a week now. After talking with their friends, they were attacked by an invisible monster like Hirota."

"Is it a Zodiarts?" Rikka asked, now becoming more concerned about these new facts.

"Appears to be so," Utsumi answered as he took out his school bag. "That invisible Zodiarts is probably after the Queenfest candidates." Utsumi reached inside of the bag and took out his toy hamburger, placing the Switch inside of it, transforming into its Foodroid form. It then projected 3 hologram images of the remaining candidates.

"That just leaves the current queen of two years, Kasashiro Namiko, and her sidekicks, Sakuma Yuko and Shigeno Hana." Utsumi then turned to Rikka as he went on further. "AND second year student, Takarada Rikka."

"Did you guys not hear a single word I said!?" Rikka asked the two boys as she was becoming very agitated with their poaching. She didn't know what to be pissed at more. Yuta, who needs her as his only chance against a stupid bet, or Utsumi, who wants to use her as live bait for a monster. "I said I won't do it!"

"All we can do now is stand and watch since we have no leads," Utsumi proclaimed, coming up with a game plan, not even heeding to Rikka's refusal. "Me and Hibiki will watch from the outside. And you Rikka will watch the entrants from the inside. We can't let the Zodiarts hurt anyone else."

Yuta gave his best friend a pat on a shoulder. "Don't worry Rikka. You got this. Think of this like a Kamen Rider Club activity."

"How many times must I tell you two!?" Rikka shrugged off Yuta's hand and pushed him away as she was outraged by this. "No means no!"

Yuta and Utsumi were not budging, as much as Rikka hates this, it's the only way of finding the Chameleon Zodiarts from harming anyone else.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

Downtown of Tsutsujidai City was this fairly big mansion with a sign that read 'Kasashiro.' Inside the mansion was a luxurious pool area, as Namiko was relaxing in the fairly big swimming pool while her two friends were sitting next to a table, enjoying treats. Each had different colors of swimsuits, Namiko wearing a pure black bikini, Yuko wearing a teal bikini and Hana wearing a pink one. Yuko and Hana giggled as they were relishing in how sweet some chocolate truffles were in front of them.

"It's so delicious!" Hana yelled in pure bliss over the taste.

"Of course, it is." Namiko smiled as she got out of the pool and reached for a towel to dry herself. "It's our patissier's specialty."

"Would you like one, Namiko?" Yuko asked the reigning queen, offering the plate of chocolates to her.

"I appreciate it, but not today," Namiko declined reaching for a tropical drink that was next to her. "This drink is enough, thank you."

Yuko felt somewhat disheartened by Namiko's refusal, slightly tilting her head down. She looked at Hana before shifting the plate to her.

"Here..." Yuko offered. "You can have the rest."

Hana's face brightened as she grabbed the entire plate and started eating more chocolate, enjoying the sweets more and more with each bite.

Yuko then took out a white carrying bag which had an abundance of items inside. She proceeded to take some out and give it to Namiko.

"Namiko, look at this!" Yuko exclaimed in amazement. Namiko looked to see a pendant presented in front of her with a kanji symbol that represented love. Namiko took it from Yuko's hands and had a disgusted look on her face.

"This pendant is unbelievable!" Namiko berated the gift. "Did they legitimately think I would ever wear this!?"

She then tossed it in a nearby bin which started making Yuko slightly timid. She took out a letter from the bag and presented it to Namiko.

"Wh-What about this then?" Yuko asked her. Namiko inspected what was on the letter and was appalled by the penmanship of said letter.

"The handwriting is so sloppy that I can't even read it," Namiko said as she then ripped the letter to shreds, dumping them in the bin, along with many other letters presented to her. "Did they think that would ever please me!?"

Yuko then presented a CD case that had Namiko's face on the cover. "It says this is a DVD of your photos," Yuko extended it out to her which earned a creeped out facial from Namiko.

"No way!" Namiko said in disbelief, snatching the case from Yuko's hands. "Are these students really this stupid?"

Namiko took the DVD out of its case and snapped it in half, tossing it away in the bin as well as many other DVDs presented to her. More and more gifts that were given to her ended up in the bin, Namiko refusing each and every one of them. While all of this was happening, Yuko grew a smile on her face, like she was happy seeing Namiko reject these gifts one by one like trash.

Eventually she stopped at one gift that caught her by surprise. Unlike many other gifts, this one had a tag of the person's name...it was a gift from Rikka. Namiko was dumbfounded as to why Rikka would even give her a gift too. The two haven't had a friendly conversation in a long time. She knew Rikka still had animosity towards her. So why on Earth would she even think of giving her this?

Namiko opened it to see a lovely charm bracelet. Just by looking at it, Namiko slowly grew a smile. She had this sense of happiness she hadn't felt in a very long time. Back when she was still friends with Rikka. Unfortunately, that brief moment of happiness faded away as Namiko gained a look of disappointment.

"Not you too..." Namiko muttered, shaking her head. She tossed the bracelet in the bin along with other piles of broken, shredded garbage. Namiko stood and leaned against a wall, now building a feeling of annoyance at all that was given to her by the student board.

"They depend on ME to do whatever they can't do themselves," Namiko scoffed. "What utter fools. Each and every one of them...especially Hibiki..."

Namiko was nearly disgusted at herself for even uttering his name. She clenched her fists at the mere thought of the red-haired teen.

"Hibiki Yuta..." She muttered. "He's the worst of them, for talking like he even knows what's going on." Namiko vented about Yuta further while Yuko sat down and proceeded to drink some tea from her cup, hiding the smile she still had on her face.

* * *

(The next day at Amanogawa Gym)

It was now the day of the Queenfest competition, with the first stage being a performance. Nearly the entire school body made their way inside along with other faculty members, including Ohsugi and Sonoda. Within the attendance was Kenji and the rest of the football team, showing up in support of Namiko. Kenji grew a cocky smile, he knew in his gut that his girlfriend was going to own this portion of the competition by a landslide.

Along with Kenji, lied JK and Hass who were merely there as observers. JK had an elated expression while Hass kept a deadpan look. She looked around to notice Utsumi in the far back of the gym. Her intrigue started peaking as she had the feeling Yuta was around too.

"There aren't many entrants in this year's Queenfest," Sonoda remarked to her colleague in disappointment.

"Well, you can't shake Kazashiro Namiko from her spot as queen," Ohsugi remarked. "She's been the reigning queen for 2 years straight and I have no doubt she will make it 3 years in a row."

"But still, it would've been nice if we had more participants," Sonoda said further. "This competition would've been great for any girl who would like to make a good impression to the school."

"Well if we were able to include teachers?" Ohsugi made a proposition. "I would definitely vote for you, Sonoda-sensei."

"Oh?" She asked as Sonoda gained a flattered blush due to Ohsugi's statement. Ohsugi had a very warm smile towards her. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined as a student wearing a sparkling yellow tuxedo bumped into the two of them as he made his way towards the stage of the gym.

"Okay, listen up!" This student yelled into a microphone he had in his hands, causing everyone's attention targeted at him. "Everyone, thanks for waiting! This is Amanogawa High School's Queen Festival!"

Utsumi was disinterested in all of this as he merely flicked the button of an Astroswitch he had in his hands. He was never fond of this event as much as Rikka is but he doesn't have seeping hatred for it unlike her.

Meanwhile Yuta was at the backstage of the gym, knocking on a door, presumably waiting for someone.

"Rikka?" Yuta asked.

"...Yes?" Rikka's voice surfaced from the door, the voice being devoid of any emotion.

"The competition is starting," He informed her. "Are you ready?"

"I absolutely hate this," Rikka replied bluntly, quietly contemplating whether she should punch or kick Yuta.

"I know I know, don't remind me," Yuta said. "But remember this is for-"

"The sake of the Kamen Rider Club," Rikka interrupted. "Yes, Yuta, you've made that excuse for the hundredth time now."

"So...are you coming out or not?" Yuta asked impatiently.

The door opened and revealed Rikka wearing casual clothes that consisted of a white hoodie with the sleeves rolled up and a blue shirt underneath. She was also wearing shorts that went above her knees and have black stockings covering her legs. Combined with the stockings were black combat boots, with white laces.

"So…how do I look?" Rikka asked.

"You look great," Yuta complimented. "However, that wardrobe was not what I was expecting."

"It's a talent competition, Yuta." Rikka retorted. "Not a fashion show."

"Well come on," Yuta gestured her. "Let's hurry up before it's too late."

Rikka followed Yuta as they made their way to the stage, they see the host still giving introductions along with a speech.

"So, you couldn't find anyone to dethrone me, huh?"

The two turned to see Namiko, Yuko and Hana in their cheerleader outfits. Namiko had a smirk brimming with full confidence, earning stubborn looks from Yuta and Rikka.

"You were a genuine fool if you honestly thought you were ever going to win this bet," Namiko said, stretching out her arms in preparation of her eventual performance. "100% idiot."

Namiko then noticed Rikka's getup, she wasn't wearing her uniform which made her profound a bit. "School just ended, you changed out of your uniform fairly quick," Namiko remarked.

"Well..." Rikka muttered, not wanting to say anything more. Namiko raised an eyebrow as Rikka was twiddling her thumbs.

"Alright, let's introduce our first participant!" The host yelled out as he gestured Rikka to come forward. "Our first entry is Year 2 Class B, Takarada Rikka, performing the song 'Glass Bead'!"

"Takarada?" Namiko asked in pure shock as Rikka turned to her with an irritated expression.

"Trust me, I don't like this anymore than you do," Rikka bluntly stated before turning to look at Yuta with full harm, who nervously gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"G-Good luck," Yuta sheeply stated to her. "Go out there and break a leg. N-Not literally b-but you get the idea."

Rikka gave out an audible groan before walking to the center of the stage. Everyone was stunned to see her entering this contest, including the teachers. Some of the students were already mumbling to each other, questioning why she of all people was entering. Some were even already heckling her to get off the stage which really pissed Rikka off.

Rikka took a few moments to recollect herself before looking at Yuta one more time, who gave her a thumbs up. She turned to see Utsumi from afar who grew a small smile, as he too gave her the thumbs up. Rikka gave a sigh, looking at the bright side of things, even if she is booed out the building or falls flat on her face, at least she knows her true friends are amongst the crowd in support.

The host gave her a different mic, which she accepted albeit hesitantly. She looked at the host and gave him a small nod which prompted him to give the audio crew the signal to play her song.

Namiko would be upset, but curiosity sparked inside of her. She recalls Rikka singing occasionally when they use to be friends. It's been a long time since she last heard her ever use her vocals. This was something she felt she must see and listen.

 **(Play Glass Bead by Yume Miyamoto)**

Bright and calm music began playing throughout the gym with a steady rhythm for the first few seconds. Finally, Rikka let her voice release into the microphone which immediately stunned everyone. Her voice sounded like an angel. JK's jaw dropped as he dropped the milk carton he had in his grasps. Hass's eyes illuminated in pure excitement as she enjoyed the calm soothing tone of Rikka's singing.

Yuta and Utsumi were amazed at her melody, neither have ever heard her sing before. For the time they first met to when Yuta first left, not once did he ever hear Rikka's voice be unleashed to this type of atmosphere. He was completely mesmerized as everyone else.

Unlike everyone else, Namiko watched with a deadpan look, though she was more so listening closely to Rikka's range, specifically once Rikka began hitting the chorus. Gradually, Namiko grew a smile on her face, as if she was happy, perhaps even proud of her former friend. Once Rikka hit the main chorus, slowly but surely, she was starting to gain the crowd's approval.

"Wow..." Utsumi muttered in pure awe.

"...That's a very lovely voice," Hass mumbled as she started growing more and more intrigued.

Soon, the crowd except for a few including Kenji and his cronies, began chanting Rikka's name, with JK of all people leading the charge. Rikka continued to let her voice roam free as she began to feel more confident. She started smiling as this moment made her feel happy.

Ever since she's arrived in this school she had been ridiculed by both upper and lower classmen. But here, it all changes. This was her moment. Maybe entering this competition wasn't so bad after all. She still didn't care about winning, she could care less about a mere title. But she was starting to have the time of her life.

However, things started to go haywire really quick as Rikka's mic was suddenly malfunctioning, turning on and off, affecting her performance. The student body were now in confusion as the mic kept getting cut off. Yuta and Utsumi were wary about this, wondering if this was the work of the Zodiarts.

Rikka tried pushing forward but things only got worse as suddenly as a strange gunk of liquid food was poured down on her head from above. Many students gasped in shock, even Ohsugi and Sonada.

The music came to a halt as Rikka stood there, now feeling absolutely embarrassed, the liquid dripping from her head. Mere silence had spread across the gym, save for a few laughs from delinquents as well as Kenji and his cronies.

Rikka looked up to see a bucket that was placed high above her head. She immediately came to the realization that she was sabotaged. She looked at the student body who were still silent except for the few laughing at her. She turned to look at Yuta and Namiko, both were absolutely aghast by what just happened. Rikka looked straight at Namiko which a face full of hurt and sorrow. Namiko tried to walk up to her only for Rikka to run out of the gym.

"Rikka, wait!" Yuta called out to her as he followed Rikka outside.

"O...O-Okay," The host said, breaking the uncomfortable silence as he got back on stage. "L-Let's give a round of applause for Takarada Rikka."

The student body started clapping, though some were hesitant and others did it out of sympathy. Utsumi, JK and Hass had disgusted looks on their faces for what just happened. Rikka did not deserved to be embarrassed that way.

Namiko heard snickering and turned to look at Yuko. Yuko immediately stopped laughing when Namiko noticed her.

"Was this your doing!?" Namiko furiously asked her.

"I-I had to ensure that no one would dethrone you," Yuko tried explaining. "Now you have a guaranteed victory."

"Not like this!" Namiko barked at her. "I want to EARN my victory! Not have it soiled by cheap tactics!"

Yuko grew very timid of Namiko while Hana just shook her head at her companion. The host then tried making the crowd lively again by praising Rikka's performance and giving some inspirational words which got the crowd back in the mood. As he did, the janitors came in to clean up the mess on the stage. It took a minute or two for it to be completely gone.

"Alright! That's better!" The host exclaimed in elation. "Now let's move on to our second and FINAL performance! Please help me welcome, Shigeno Hana, Sakuma Yuko and the reigning queen for the past 2 years, Kazashiro Namiko!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause as they heard the host introduce them. The crowd were now chanting Namiko's name. Namiko gave a sigh of disappointment as she and her companions went on stage, the crowd becoming even louder as they proceeded to begin their performance as music started booming.

* * *

(Outside)

"Rikka, please wait!" Yuta kept following Rikka as they were a few feet from the gym.

"Leave me alone!" Rikka shouted at him, not wanting to be bothered.

"Rikka-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Rikka interrupted the red-haired teen as her voice started breaking in sorrow, the gunk still in her hair. "I knew it was a stupid decision to enter in this competition! I should've just said NO!"

Yuta was saddened to see his best friend be humiliated back there. He tried giving her comfort as he placed a hand on her shoulder. He grew more sympathetic when he noticed tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Please leave me alone..." Rikka muttered in pure misery.

"Rikka..." Yuta said. "You have nothing to be ashamed about. That was a tremendous performance. I've never heard you sing before, I loved it and so did they."

"They were laughing at me..." Rikka quietly retorted.

"Not everyone," Yuta pointed out to her. "And those who did should be ashamed of themselves. They can laugh and poke fun at you all they want, but you had the guts to go up there and sing from the heart."

Yuta started wiping away her tears with his fingers, genuinely want to cheer her up. "No one can take that moment away from you, Rikka. No one." Yuta reassured her.

Rikka was sniffling for a few seconds still very hurt over the incident. Before she even had time to compose herself, the two heard a shriek from inside the gym loud enough for them to hear. Yuta had no time to waste as he immediately ran back inside, leaving the distressed girl by herself.

Yuta went inside and noticed Yuko on the ground of the stage. He rushed over to her aid, helping her get back up. Yuko proceeded to run away from the stage without Yuta even making sure if she was alright.

"Where did it go?" Yuta asked himself, checking the surroundings as did Utsumi. They knew the Chameleon Zodiarts was here, hiding somewhere.

Meanwhile the student body were mumbling to each other in concern and fear. Suddenly, Hana was fell to the ground as if she pushed by something. More student began panicking as Yuta now rushed to Hana's aid this time.

"Are you okay?" Yuta asked Hana who nodded her head. He gestured her off the stage. "Get somewhere safe!" Yuta then noticed some chalkboard next to him with some erasers.

Yuta grabbed one for each of his hands, getting back to the center off the stage. He proceeds to bang the erasers against one another, causing smoke from chalk to leak out. A smoke strong enough for the green beast's cloaking to be deactivated.

Once the Chameleon Zodiarts came out of hiding, the entire student body were now stunned in fear. Rikka slowly entered into the gym again and noticed the Chameleon Zodiarts who grabbed Namiko. Namiko tried to break free but it was no use until Yuta gave the green Zodiarts a flying kick that caused it to let go of her.

Yuta tried nailing some punches but the Chameleon dodged with ease before escaping, pushing students aside who were trembling.

"Stop!" Yuta yelled out as he chased after it.

The Chameleon Zodiarts was quick on its feet as it was trying to leave the campus. Yuta kept chasing as he got out the Fourze Driver and placed it on his waist, flipping all 4 Switches down.

 **"THREE! TWO! ONE!"**

"Henshin!" Yuta exclaimed, not stopping in his tracks as he pulled the lever and transformed into Fourze as vapour erupted from the belt, the cybernetic circle and white light consuming him.

"UCHUU KITA!" Fourze yelled, raising up his arms for a brief second before he kept running.

The two were now off campus and onto a bridge that led to the school. Fourze managed to land some shots at the green Zodiarts only for it to respond with kicks and takedowns.

It went for another kick but Fourze was able to grab its foot and tried to flip the Zodiarts over. However, the Chameleon adapted and used the fencing of the bridge to rebound and strike Fourze again. It even used its long tounge to grab a scaffold nearby and swing from it, attacking Fourze with another kick.

Fourze was done playing around as he now was beginning to dodge the Zodiarts's attacks and was gaining momentum again. He used his hover pack to add to an advantage, countering the Chameleon and eventually getting it trapped in a headlock, making sure it doesn't escape this time. He even headbutted the green creature a few times to daze it.

Utsumi soon joined the scene, watching Fourze trying to subdue the Chameleon. Soon it broke free and walloped Fourze with a side kick to the gut, causing him to stumble back. It soon used its tongue to latch on to a pole nearby and went swinging to cause some distance away from the white Kamen Rider.

"If you intend to keep moving around, then so will I," Fourze proclaimed as he took out the Hopping Switch again.

"Stop using the Hopping Switch!" Utsumi demanded, but Fourze was not listening as Fourze replace the Drill Switch with Hopping.

 **"HOPPING!"**

Fourze pushed the pink Switch down.

 **"HOPPING ON!"**

Fourze prepared himself as the Hopping Module emerged and connected to his left leg. Fourze did his best to maintain his balance. The Chameleon Zodiarts went charging at Fourze only to get thwarted by Fourze because much to Utsumi's surprise, Fourze used the Hopping Module to land attacks. Fourze steadied himself, using the pink pogo stick and bouncing on the Zodiarts which did damage to it. Even connecting an attack strong enough to launch the Chameleon against a wall.

"He...actually mastered it," Utsumi mumbled to himself in awe. Never did he think Fourze would actually do so in such a short amount of time.

"You see, Sho?" Fourze asked his ally. "Nothing is a waste of time in this world! When it's time, it has its use!"

Fourze then deactivated the Hopping Switch as he then took out the Chainsaw Switch, taking out the Launcher and replacing it.

 **"CHAINSAW!"**

Fourze then pulled back the Switch.

 **"CHAINSAW ON!"**

The Hopping Module disappeared while the Chainsaw Module attached to Fourze's right leg, the saw at the tip of his boot. Fourze dashed towards the Chameleon successfully landed kicks with the Chainsaw Module on the green Zodiarts.

The Chameleon Zodiarts tried going for an air attack as it jumped, only for Fourze to rebuffed the attempt by nailing it with a powerful kick combined with the Chainsaw Module. The kick caused the Zodiarts to fall off the bridge and into the shallow river.

"Time to finish you off with a Limit Break!" Fourze said as he turned off the Chainsaw Switch before removing the Hopping Switch and placing the Drill Switch back in the Driver. Fourze proceeded to turn on both the Rocket and Drill Switches quickly.

 **"ROCKET ON!"**

 **"DRILL ON!"**

Before the Modules surfaced, Fourze pulled the lever on his Driver. After doing so, the Rocket Module emerged first on Fourze's right arm, lifting up off the ground. Then the yellow Drill emerged onto Fourze's left leg as he guided himself to go over and under the bridge.

 **"ROCKET DRILL! LIMIT BREAK!"**

Fourze got into a side kick position as he hurdled towards the Chameleon Zodiarts. "RIDER ROCKET DRILL KICK!" Fourze shouted. However, the Chameleon wasn't giving up as it used its tentacles that mimicked a chameleon's tounge to nail the walls nearby with created a massive puff of smoke combined with Fourze's Rocket.

Fourze stumbled on the ground as the puff faded. He looked around to see that the Chameleon was nowhere to be seen, along with its Switch. It got away again. Fourze groaned out of frustration as he turned off the Rocket and Drill Switches.

"Did you get it!?" Utsumi called out to Fourze from the bridge, looking down on him, hoping the Zodiarts had been defeated.

"No good. It got away again," Fourze shook his head causing another sigh of frustration, this time coming from Utsumi's mouth.

"...It's alright," Utsumi said, still trying to be optimistic and hopeful. "At least you managed to master the Hopping Switch, nice work."

Fourze gave out a sneaky laugh as he heard the props from his friend. "I told you I could do it!" Fourze repeated at him.

"And I was wrong for doubting you," Utsumi admitted. "Now come on, let's hurry up and get back to the gym." Fourze nodded as the two made haste back to the school.

* * *

(Back at the Gym)

The students inside were still freaked out over what just happened or what they saw. They're chattering was soon interrupted by Namiko who demanded her music to be turned back on.

"Music!" Namiko ordered. "We're going to finish this performance."

Suddenly, the TV projectors that were placed inside the gym were playing recorded footage. The student body were curious of what they were looking at only to be meet with shock as the footage was of Namiko throwing away the gifts everyone had given her.

 _"This pendant is unbelievable!"_ Namiko said from the recording as the footage showed her tossing it in the bin, earning gasps from everyone. " _Did they think I'd ever wear this!?_ "

Namiko was surprised to see the footage, confused as to who recorded it. She didn't see any cameras around her when this happened. Meanwhile Kenji was dumbfounded by what he was seeing as was everyone else in the gym, including Rikka who was now hiding in the back of the gym.

" _The handwriting is so sloppy I can barely read it!_ " The footage kept rolling as it showed Namiko ripping several letters to shreds which started angering many students, except for JK who was actually grinning at this trainwreck though a part of him was also cringing over all of this.

" _No way!_ " The footage proceeded to show Namiko break multiple DVDs given to her. " _Are these students really that stupid!?_ "

The longer the footage kept playing, the more enraged the crowd was becoming. Soon, Rikka felt her heart shattered more as she sees the footage showing Namiko with the charm bracelet she gave her. She immediately recognized it.

" _Not you too..._ "

It was at this moment where Rikka made it to herself clear when watching Namiko throw away the bracelet along with the other trash. Namiko is not her friend. Any bridge she was hoping could pave the way to rebuild their friendship was now burned in her eyes.

Everyone was now demanding answers from Namiko who was profoundly lost over what is transpiring. The students were now berating her as she tried to explain her actions. They wanted none of it as some were now demanding her to leave the stage.

As this went on, one of the doors to the gym opened, revealing Fourze who was watching the scene continue. Fourze was perplexed with what was going on. Everyone who adored and supported their school queen turned a complete 180. The reigning queen was now public enemy number 1.

* * *

 **The scene focuses on Rikka's phone, which had headphone plug-in attached to it. Her thumb presses the 'Play' button.**

 **(Play A Town in Blue by Asian Kung-Fu Generation)**

 **Rikka is seen walking through various parts of Tsutsujidai City. From alleyways, to school hallways, to the streets, all with her eyes hiding underneath her hair.**

 **{Mada samenai yume ga makuramoto de boku ni tachi shita} The scene showcases parts of Tsutsujidai, from the Amanogawa High School, to parks to train stations.**

 **{Asa no nioi machi ga ugokidasu gamen no tenkiyohou} Rikka is seen walking across a harbor, unbeknowst to her something was flying past her a ridiculous speed. This turned out to be Fourze who flew past her as Fourze was charging towards various Zodiarts and Powerdizer soon joined the fray, helping out Fourze. Meanwhile Rikka just stands and watch as it zooms into her face which had a deadpan expression.**

 **{Hibi ni negai motome ubai atte sekai wa datti-rou} The scene focuses now on Rikka who was in class reading her space book and her earphone in her ears as Yuta was sleeping and Utsumi having this annoyed look towards Yuta.**

 **{Meguri ai fureru kimi no subete ga boku no ai no mahou} The scene focuses on Rikka who is enjoying lunch with Yuta and the rest of the Kamen Rider Club.**

 **{Namariiro no machi nezumitachi no nigoru buruu} The scene transitions to Alexis, his red visor glowing. It also focuses on various Zodiarts and even the hooded masked female, whose eyes were glowing.**

 **{Boyaketa nibui kodou mune ni nokoru wazukana shirosa yo} Yuta was standing on top of a skyscraper, wind blowing through his red hair. He had his Fourze Driver around his waist. He ran and jumped off the skyscraper before pulling the lever, transforming into Fourze in mid-air and activating his rocket.**

 **{Tarinai kokoro wo mitashitakute kakedasu! Hajime no ippo ne de keshiki sae mo KIERU YO!} Fourze was fighting multiple Zodiarts, using various Switches with Powerdizer acting as his shield. From a far distance the rest of the Kamen Rider Club, Rikka included, cheering them on.**

 **{Miageta sora kara ato tadotte oikakeru} The scene transitions to Fourze fighting Alexis in a hard hitting battle, knocking lumps out of each other. Alexis gaining the upper hand as Fourze started losing stamina.**

 **{Kimagure na kumo ni kimi no kao ga UKABU YO! KITTO!} Fourze was then had a special Switch which he activated, causing him to be consumed by a white light which blocked Alexis's vision briefly. Alexis looked to see Fourze who was completely white, his form unknown as Fourze flew like a bullet towards Alexis. The scene suddenly transition to a close up of Rikka's face as her eyes open.**

 **{Kitto...} Rikka was laying down she on top of a hill, underneath a tree. She stood up, a bit weary.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto} Rikka turned to see a magnificent view of the city before walking away.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto} It was nighttime as Rikka was now near a vantage point at a park, which had another wonderful view of the city, with the city lights making it more breathtaking.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto} Rikka still had a deadpan look on her face, headphones still in her ears. She then felt something weird. She turned her head to see Yuta was next to her. He decided to join her on her sightseeing.**

 **{Hikari datte yami datte kitto...} Yuta had a smile on his face, looking at the city before looking up and staring at the night sky. Rikka looked up at the sky as well, and was now donning a smile on her face too as they both enjoyed the magnificent night sky with beautiful looking stars and constellations that complimented it.**

* * *

 **AN: And there's the latest chapter. IF you guys are wondering where the song came from, it's Rikka's character song from Gridman. She is not a bad singer. Too bad that we couldn't find lyrics. Now onto something that was pointed out in the reviews; we are aware that these chapters are more like adaptations to the first few episodes of Fourze. But that's just to form the KR Club, but even those arcs have some form of original content.**

 **SonicHeroXD: That is right, but we want to assure you that there'll be original content down the road. Especially in the next couple of chapters.**

 **Anyways, please review or send PMs for questions, comments, or concerns. Don't be afraid to review this chapter, send questions, or look at my other fics. Alright, I'm done; goodnight.**


	4. Se-Crets and De-Cept-Ion

**AN: Hey guys, SonicHeroXD and I are back to bring a new chapter of Fourze! While this certainly was not part of my schedule, Sonic has convinced me that we should perhaps take a shot at updating this story. Especially since this ended on something of a cliffhanger. So, for now…Showtime!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider or Gridman

* * *

Chapter 4: Se-Crets and De-Cept-Ion

Fourze just stood there in shock as well as the rest of the school. Only yesterday was Namiko the school's most popular and beloved queen, but now she was public enemy No. 1 and everyone wanted a piece of her. It was ironic, considering that Namiko sabotaged Rikka only for the former to get sabotaged as well.

As mind processed what just happened, the Chameleon Zodiarts appeared behind him with a sinister chuckle that got the white Rider's attention. He turned to see the Zodiarts run away from the scene, prompting for another chase to begin.

Suddenly the Zodiarts slowed down and kept snickering, like it had no reason to run away anymore. Fourze was profoundly confused until he started putting two and two together. "This was a part of your scheme, wasn't it?" Fourze accused the green Chameleon.

The Chameleon refused to give an answer before turning invisible and escaping. Fourze tried to follow it again but knew how quick it can be. He gave a frustrated groan as he failed to take care of this threat again. With no more reason to stick around, Fourze undid his transformation and ran back to the competition, which should be very heated at the moment. He can only fear what Namiko and Rikka would be feeling right now.

* * *

(With the girls)

The student body started leaving in disgust, many throwing their rally signs for Namiko on the ground. Some even stepping on them for good measure. Others even went to tear off rally posters of Namiko that were attached to wall in protest.

Ohsugi gave a disappointed sigh as Sonada remained silent in disgust. The two eventually left with the remaining students.

Namiko looked across to see Kenji who simply shook his head, like a disappointed father and stromed out of the gym. Namiko was left all alone, except for Hana who stuck around. She grew genuinely concerned for her fellow cheerleader and reigning queen. Namiko had a lot of emotions running through her head right now.

"Namiko..." muttered Yuko who returned to the stage, clenching her arm from the attack by the Zodiarts.

Yuta, who had changed out of the Fourze suit made his way past the exiting students and ran towards the stage to find a hurt and confused Namiko.

"N-Namiko?" Yuta asked her out of concern. "Are you okay?"

Namiko turned to look at Yuta, her attitude immediately changing just at the sight of the red-haired teen.

"Don't look at me like that!" She yelled at him, which made Yuta perplexed.

"I-I was just-" Yuta tried explaining himself before Namiko cut him off.

"You were THAT desperate, weren't you!?" She starting accusing him. "You wanted me to lose that bet so much that you had to resort to this level!?"

"W-Wait, you think I did this!?" Yuta asked, appalled that Namiko is even accusing him of the sabotage.

"You weren't around when it happened!" Namiko pointed out. "SOMEONE had to have done it!"

"Well it wasn't me!" Yuta defended himself.

"Oh really?" Namiko asked, becoming more intense. "Then where the hell were you when this DID happen!?"

Yuta wanted to answer but knew he couldn't. It would blow his cover as Kamen Rider Fourze. The last thing he needs is for that to come to fruition. So, Yuta just remained silent, not trying to come up with an alternative answer.

"That's what I thought," Namiko said, hatred oozing out of her voice. "Just what I was expecting from trash like you! You are nothing but true scum! You could never understand what I have to go to through! The responsibility that I have to-!"

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Namiko's arm and turned her around only to be met with a hard slap to the face. Namiko felt the stinging force that slap delivered. She was stunned to see who the culprit was as did Yuta. It was Rikka, who still had the liquid gunk in her hair from earlier. Namiko was frozen in shock that Rikka smacked her across the face as her former best friend had tears of anger in her eyes.

"How dare you..." Rikka muttered in resentment before she immediately raised her voice. "You dare call him true scum!? Have you ever ONCE looked at yourself in the mirror!?"

Yuta was silent, he didn't know how to comprehend with this. Rikka was emotionally hurt by everything that has happened, especially when she was embarrassed in front of everyone. Namiko placed her hand on her own cheek, stunned by this reaction from Rikka. They both never saw her this pissed.

"If anyone is trash, it's you!" Rikka screamed at Namiko with conviction. "You are nothing but a pompous, selfish bitch who only looks out for her own needs!"

"What happened to the Namiko I use to remember! The Namiko that I use to call an older sister!? The Namiko I use to look up to!? WHERE DID SHE GO!?" Rikka screamed these questions at her former best friend, grabbing her by her top while more and more tears of anger and bitterness were escaping from her.

Namiko remained silent, as she too was becoming more emotionally hurt, just by the expression on her face. Her eyes were now hiding beneath her hair before she shrugged Rikka off, running away from her and leaving the gym.

Hana left to join her queen as Yuko followed suit, exiting the gym too. That left Yuta and Rikka all alone now. He noticed Rikka shaking as he heard sobbing from her. Yuta felt absolutely sorry for his best friend, who was an emotional trainwreck at the moment. She was probably penting up all these emotions inside and today was the day where she unleashed what she must've truly felt for a while.

"Rikka..." Yuta calmly called out to her.

She turned around with a look of pure agonizing sorrow. "...Don't look at me like that..." She muttered to Yuta.

Yuta slowly approached her, his expression not changing.

"Dammit Yuta!" She yelled at him, her voice breaking in the process. "I said don't look at me like that!"

Yuta got closer enough to pull Rikka in for an embrace of comfort. Rikka tried to break away for a second or two before immediately accepting. Her tears were flowing like a river as she was now wailing in sadness. Yuta was devastated by this; never did he want Rikka to be sad. He always enjoyed her bright smile and to see her mentally beaten down like this made him sad too.

He did his best to comfort her, allowing her to get all of it out of her system as she kept crying for a couple of more minutes. Eventually Rikka calmed down and even started to finally explain to Yuta what he wanted to know before. She revealed to Yuta all the details which finally got him to understand why she held such a grudge against the Queenfest.

"So that's what happened..." Yuta muttered as Rikka was wiping away her own tear stains.

"Yes, and ever since that day, I've always kept this anger inside me," Rikka said, finishing the entire explanation.

"That's not healthy," Yuta pointed out. "If you keep it all pent up inside for that long, it could do serious damage, and I'm not just talking about you..."

Rikka remained silent at Yuta's words and was taken aback by what he said next. "I wouldn't have gone that far and slapping Namiko. I know you feel this way, but you can't detest her forever."

Yuta was right, even if it may have felt tremendous for Rikka to finally give Namiko what she's felt for so long, Rikka immediately started feeling this sense of regret for doing it. It didn't feel as satisfying as she thought it would. Instead it felt extremely bittersweet, she was now questioning herself if Namiko truly deserved it.

"If it were me, the least I would do is apologize. If you don't want to try to be friends with her again, that's fine. But you need to bury the hatchet with her," Yuta suggested.

Rikka took a few seconds before giving a nod at his advice. He then made Rikka look at him as she saw his caring nature deep inside his eyes.

"Never forget that you always have me and Utsumi to turn to if you are ever upset," Yuta reassured her.

"Right," Rikka said as she grew a warm smile. "You know...I may not act like it at times, but I'm really glad you moved back here to the city Yuta."

"We will always be friends, no matter how far apart we are." Yuta smiled back.

"Right. Friends," Rikka agreed as she held out her hand. "BEST friends."

Yuta gladly accepted her hand, the two commencing the Handshake of Friendship. Yuta immediately started cringing as he felt his hand become sticky after that handshake. Looks like the gunk in Rikka's hair somehow got on her hands. Rikka noticed this and couldn't help but laugh, even though she was apologizing. He brushed it aside knowing that at least Rikka's spirits were brightening up.

Rikka meant every word of what she said, never did she need Yuta more at a time like this. Sure, she was publicly humiliated in front of the entire school. But the fact still stands that Yuta was there to help cheer her up and at times like these, she was grateful to have befriended someone like him. Though she's still miffed at how reckless Yuta has gotten with age, she knows that deep down is the caring, outgoing and bright lad she remembered from childhood.

The two eventually left the gym as Yuta offered to walk her home. As they were, Rikka kept still kept thinking about what her mother whispered to her yesterday. She hid a blush underneath, looking at Yuta without him noticing. She felt something rise up inside her gradually, but immediately pushed it down a peg, shrugging off her current thoughts. Yuta noticed this unfortunately which made her nervous but thankfully, he paid it no mind. She gave a mental sigh of relief as they kept walking.

* * *

(Elsewhere)

Yuko was walking by herself, separated from Namiko and Hana, the sun setting in the distance. She stopped in her tracks and leaned against a nearby fence, suddenly laughing in a maniacal manner. After a few seconds, she ceased, keeping a devious grin on her face. She lowered her head and stared down at the palm of her right hand, which held a familiar black Switch...

* * *

 **{Space...an unknown frontier holding limitless cosmic energy.} The scene focuses on the Earth coming from a vantage point of the moon as a small spacecraft is shown on the surface.**

 **{These youths will use the Astro Switches to break into space, and forge their own futures!} The scene transitions to a bright white background, showing the backs of all members of the Kamen Rider Club. It zooms into various Astro Switches that are in front of them.**

 **{"Space on your hand!"} Each member of the Kamen Rider Club have their respective Switches in the hands as they each press of flick the buttons on them.**

 **{Now, take space into your hands too!} Yuta grabs his Switch and presses the button down with his thumb as the logo appears.**

 **(Play Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

 **{Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! FOURZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! IKOU ZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! OH YEAH!} The scene shows off Fourze from his helmet to his suit before showing the entire Kamen Rider Club in a classroom who are full of excitement.**

 **{High School kara housouchuu burger katate hungry na everyday} Yuta is sitting in his desk, alone in a classroom as he takes off his school uniform in disgust. He is then seen changing into his regular attire, later walking down the halls with a smirk on his face.**

 **{Mada mada tarinai, yume wa large-size, Come On! Switch On!} Utsumi is seen lurking outside of the facility with his Astro Switch in hand. Rikka is seen sitting in the middle of a flight of stairs, her headphones in her ears. She removes one of the earbuds, giving a soft smile. Fourze is then flying around the city with his rocket in hand.**

 **{Retro future, sonna no wa fusaiyou, omoitsuki image mirai he BLAST OFF!} The scene then shows the rest of the Kamen Rider Club individually, from Namiko, to Kenji, to Hass, and finally JK.**

 **{Koushiki nanka imi ga nai} The scene transitions to an astronomy that Yuta, Rikka and Utsumi are visiting. They observe what is inside and even toy around by each getting inside an spacesuit that is on display.**

 **{Hito no hanashi dake de shitta ki ni naranai de, kakan ni tough ni challenge!} The Kamen Rider Club are shown enjoying their spare time together, going to different areas around the city. They are then seen walking together in the hallways, passing by their teachers, Sarina Sonada and Chuta Ohsugi. It then transitions to Alexis is shown in a dark room as purple aura surrounds him, his red visor glowing in the dark. Several Zodiarts are seen beside him along with a hooded person with a gemini mask on, whose eyes are glowing a bright red.**

 **{Genkai nante bukkowashite yare jibun no te de! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoa! SWITCH ON! Kinou yori step up!} Fourze is then shown testing various Astro Switches at his disposal. The Kamen Rider Club is then seen walking across a harbor with the Powerdizer and Fourze's Machine Masslinger following them along with a couple of Foodroids. Yuta then runs up and jumps in excitement.**

 **{Going gouin my friends, taikiken datte toppa shite! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoa! SWITCH ON! Tabidachi no COUNTDOWN!} Fourze on his Machine Masslinger is avoiding various explosions in his way. The scene then transitions to Yuta, wearing his Fourze Driver, flipping down the Switches and transforming into Fourze. He then gets on Masslinger which is attached to Powerdizer in its Tower Mode, ready to be launched into the sky. The rest of the Kamen Rider Club cheers him on as Powerdizer launches him.**

 **{Tomaranai kurai chou shigekiteki School Days! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! IKOU ZE! Whoa! Whoawhoa! Whoawhoa! FOURZE YAY!} Fourze is gliding across the night sky as the scene showcases Fourze more. The scene ends with Fourze and the rest of the Kamen Rider Club on the moon taking a group photo with their club banner behind them as the logo appears one more time.**

* * *

(The next day)

After the events that conspired at Queenfest, the whole student body were understandably still talking over everything that occurred yesterday.

Some were mentioning Rikka's performance and how distasteful it was for someone to sabotage her in the way that they did. Others wouldn't stop going off about Namiko and the footage that was shown to everyone.

School was over for the day but the trio were the only ones left in their classroom. Yuta was sitting at his desk still frustrated about losing the Chameleon Zodiarts in his sights. Meanwhile Rikka and Utsumi were looking at a piece a paper she had. It was the current results of the Queenfest voting. Namiko who was supposed to be the odds-on favorite, was in last place.

Replacing Namiko in the top rank was now Yuko who had so many votes that it'd be near impossible for Namiko to recover. In third place was Hana, who didn't have anywhere near as low number of votes as Namiko did. But the thing that surprised the two the most was Rikka's placement.

"Wow," Utsumi remarked, adjusting his glasses to make sure he wasn't misreading what the paper said. "You actually got second place. You're just a couple of votes underneath Sakuma."

"They probably just voted for me out of pity," Rikka pressumed, trying to discredit her own accomplishment.

"That may be the case to a certain extent, but you did wonderful out there, Rikka," Utsumi complimented her, which made her smile.

"Arigatou, Utsumi," Rikka acknowledged to him. "But still, I don't care if I win this stupid Queenfest. My mind still hasn't changed about this, even IF that incident hadn't occurred.

"Speaking of which," Yuta chimed in. "How did your mom react when she saw your hair in a mess?"

"She was very concerned," Rikka answered. "But I tried brushing off as a mishap from the cafeteria. She bought it, albeit she was still suspicious."

"You didn't tell her the truth?" Yuta puzzlingly asked her.

"Trust me, the last thing I want is for Okaa-san to be involved with what I'm doing," Rikka explained. "Plus I'm over the whole thing now."

"Just like that?" Yuta asked again.

"Yeah," Rikka answered with a straight face. "Especially since I know it wasn't Namiko who sabotaged me."

"Then who did?"

"The same one who sabotaged Kazashiro," Utsumi added into the conversation. "The Chameleon Zodiarts."

"Why would the Chameleon Zodiarts want to sabotage the both of you?" Yuta asked, not understanding any of the Zodiarts's motivation.

"That's what we're trying to find out," Utsumi responded, stroking his chin.

Yuta gave a heavy sigh as he got up from his seat and left the room.

"Where are you going?" Rikka asked him as he stopped when reaching the door.

"I need to get my head out of the gutter," Yuta answered while he made his exit.

"At this rate, we know for sure that this Zodiarts is after Kazashiro Namiko," Utsumi continued, getting back on topic. "Sure, you were sabotaged too, but Namiko got the brunt of it the most."

"Why do you think it would've gone to that extent to ensure Namiko wouldn't win again?" Rikka asked her friend, being just as troubled about this as he was.

Utsumi kept thinking about this until something light up inside his head. "What if it was one of Namiko's sidekicks?" Utsumi suggested.

"Why would you think that?" Rikka asked further. "Both you and Yuta told me that the Zodiarts attacked the two of them."

Utsumi took out his toy burger and stared at it briefly before hatching up a plan inside his mind. "That may have not been the case after all..." He concluded.

Suddenly, Rikka felt a chill down her spine, she had the feeling someone was watching her. She opened the window blinds to see Hass who was outside, staring at Rikka in a bizarre demeanor. Rikka immediately closed the blinds, disturbed by Hass's reaction.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

The cheerleaders in their locker room, including Yuko and Hana were conversing with each other. Yuko had the current results of the voting in her hand. She had a mental grin inside, knowing that she was now at the top. Soon her train of thought stopped when Namiko entered, who was in her school uniform.

The others cheerleaders were now silent, not even desiring to talk to her as they did their best to distanced themselves from her. Namiko was ignoring everyone anyways, as she too was silent, not even greeting her sidekicks. She opened her locker and got some of her possessions out and placed them in her bag until she felt Yuko's hand touch her shoulder.

"Namiko...why don't you just drop out from the Queenfest?" She suggested to Namiko which made her dumbfounded at that question.

"Excuse me?" Namiko asked, immediately beginning to feel irritated.

"Well..." Yuko tried to explain herself. "There's no way you can be able to catch up with the number of votes you have. Maybe it'd be best if you just quit now while you're ahead. I think you can-"

"Enough!" Namiko barked at her, slamming her locker, emphasizing her frustrations. "There's nothing I hate more than pity..."

Namiko stormed out of the locker room which grew more concern from Hana.

"I have never seen Namiko like this...This is very bad, Yuko," Hana muttered.

"...Is it really?" Yuko asked, her tone of voice shifting into one that would strike her fear. She turned to Hana, immediately startling her. Hana backed away now becoming afraid of Yuko until her back was pressed against the lockers.

"Namiko is finished," Yuko stated as she stared into Hana's eyes, her fellow cheerleader growing timider with each second. "You should start thinking about who you want to follow in the future, Hana...Me...or her?"

Hana stood frozen, not even wanting to say anything as Yuko grew a smile drenched of pure wickedness and corruption. She stroked Hana's hair like a pet before proceeding to exit the locker room. Hana couldn't process what just happened, her mind filled with nothing but fear.

* * *

(With Namiko)

The former school idol was outside, sitting alone by herself at a table. She felt a small vibration in her jacket pocket before checking her phone to see that it was a text from Kenji.

" _Can I see you right now?"_ The message read.

Namiko contemplated how to respond before closing her phone and putting it away entirely. Talking to someone was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment. So, she just spent all that time by herself with nothing but her growing anger to keep her company.

* * *

(With Utsumi)

Utsumi entered the restricted facility, more laid back than usual, tossing the Switch he had in his hands and catching it in consecutive fashion. He opened the door to the storage room, heading straight towards the rusty locker. He opened it, being met with the white light and entering inside.

He made his way inside of the Rabbit Hatch and went towards his laboratory. He set aside his school bag aside and got himself relaxed before turning on the lab's computer. He inspected through multiple windows until he froze to one that immediately grabbed his attention.

It was a radar that detected four objects, all of which that garnered strong signal waves. Utsumi was in bewilderment as he opened another program that identified the waves of cosmic energy. The cosmic energy was almost off the charts. He didn't know what to make of this data, until he recalled something that he told Fourze a while ago.

He looked to the side at the display board of all the Astroswitches, specifically the slots that were labeled 10, 22, 30, 31 and S-1. There was supposed to be 41 Switches that were meant to be in Fourze's arsenal, but they'd been missing with no trace. Could it be possible that they've been lost in space all this time...? But that begs another question...why are there four signals when there's five Switches missing?

Utsumi's thoughts were immediately interrupted when he heard grunting. He looked around to find the source of that noise until he looked out the window. He spotted Fourze who was walking on the moon. He tilted his head in confusion over what he was doing.

Fourze dragged his left foot against the surface, marking a circle with a dot in the the middle. He proceeded to remove the Drill Switch afterwards and replaced it with the Hopping Switch.

 **"HOPPING!"**

"Alright," Fourze told himself as he pushed the button on the pink Switch down. "Let's try this again."

 **"HOPPING ON!"**

The Hopping Module emerged and connected to Fourze's left boot. He immediately sprung up in the air, trying to regain his balance again.

"Come on Yuta," Fourze kept telling himself as he kept bouncing up in the air. "Come on, you got this. You got this." He kept bouncing until one sent him flying up in the air.

The moon's gravity pulled him back down, Fourze managing to land right on the dot in the middle. He finally stopped, regaining his balance with the Hopping Module giving a sigh of relief before exclaiming over his success.

He then turned off the Hopping Switch, the pogo stick now disappearing from his leg. Fourze then heard the ringing for the Radar Switch go off, prompting him to turn it on.

 **"RADAR ON!"**

The Radar Module was now attached to his left arm, looking at the screen to see Utsumi.

"Have you been practicing like this all day?" Utsumi asked in astonishment.

"I said I would help you," Fourze responded. "I needed to make sure not to mess up like I did the previous times."

Utsumi couldn't help but lightly chuckle at Yuta's determination and the extent he went through. "Who knew you could be such a hard worker?" Utsumi asked, mildly amused by what he witnessed.

"You once said to never judge a book by its cover, Utsumi," Fourze replied. "Despite my looks and attitude, I put the effort in when it counts the most."

Fourze then went silent over what he just said. For some reason, Namiko was now entering his thoughts. Before Rikka slapped her the other day, he recalled Namiko yelling at him.

 _"You could never understand what I have to go through! The responsibility I have to-!"_

"...Responsibility..." Fourze muttered. "...I get it now. You're...just like me."

"Eh?" Utsumi asked in confusion through the radar. "What are you droning on about?"

"...I need to find Namiko," Fourze declared.

"What for?" Utsumi asked again.

"I need to talk with her about something. Something I never understood until now," Fourze explained as the got back inside the Hatch.

* * *

(Later)

Yuta, now wearing his normal clothes with a red shirt now underneath his white jacket, had JK in a headlock for a few seconds before he managed to slip free. JK tried to run away but Yuta grabbed his shoulder and pressed him against a wall.

"L-Look," JK stuttered. "I already told Utsumi-san I wanted nothing more to do with you guys!"

"Oh no/" Yuta rebuffed in a low voice, trying to sound a bit intimidating. "You don't get to weasel your way out of this. Now tell me where Namiko is, this is important." JK sighed in defeat at his demand, before giving Yuta the info he was needing.

(With Namiko)

Namiko was alone in at a local bowling alley that appears to be completely empty. She had the alley currently reserved for herself. If anything, she prefers it being empty like this at the time being, she just needed something to get her head out of the gutter. She was out of her school uniform and into a casual outfit that was a collared red and white shirt along with a black skirt and leggings.

She violently threw the bowling balls across and managed to nail a few strikes. She put all of her frustrations with each throw. She was thinking back to what Yuko was suggesting to her earlier, growing a look of disgust.

"...Me? Quit?" She asked herself. She grabbed another bowling ball, preparing to go another round. She prepared to throw it until-

"Hey."

Namiko shrieked as the sudden voice startled her. While still in motion, the ball slipped out of her hands and went towards her right. She looked to see it was Yuta, who yelled in pain as the ball actually landed on his right foot. He fell flat on his rear, gripping his foot.

"O-Oops," Namiko said until realized who she said it to. "Hibiki...?"

"Don't worry," Yuta tried reassuring. "I-I'm fine. I've suffered worse."

Namiko said nothing as she went to grab another bowling ball and threw at Yuta. Yuta reacted quickly as he grabbed the ball, stopping it from hitting his nether regions.

"Wh-What are you doing!?" Yuta asked her.

"Just be grateful I'm not calling security," Namiko scolded at him. "So, you've won the bet and now you've come to gloat about it?"

"I win?" Yuta asked perplexed at her question, regaining his composure as he stood back up.

"Yes, Hibiki Yuta," Namiko responded. "You win. I'm giving up on the Queenfest. I hope you're happy that you went to that extent to ensure I'd lose."

"Namiko, I swear to you I had nothing to do with what happened yesterday," Yuta said in a sincere tone. "I'm not the kind of guy that likes using cheap tactics. It's not in my nature."

Namiko focused on the look in Yuta's eyes, she found him very annoying but for some reason she started to take his word.

"If I want something, I have to earn it, fair and square." Yuta stated. "Just like you have for the past 2 years. You EARNED those victories. You had to deal with the responsibility of being the queen. Which is why you can't give up now!"

"Eh?" Namiko asked as she was stunned with what Yuta was speaking.

"You need to see this through to the end, like a real queen!" Yuta exclaimed, his seriousness not waning in the slightest.

Namiko was in pure astonishment by Yuta's words and propositions. He was the one who made this bet in the first place, now it seems as if he doesn't care about the outcome anymore.

"The one who wanted to be the queen the most was you," Yuta went on further. "It was always you."

"But there's no way I can make a comeback with those points!" Namiko argued, recalling how low the number of votes she received in the aftermath of the first half of the contest.

"You won't know unless you try!" Yuta barked back. "There's always a way!"

"Do you even realize what you're saying!?" Namiko asked him. "If I lose, you won't have to transfer!"

"You think I honestly care about this dumb bet at this point!?" Yuta responded which further made Namiko confused. "If you truly fight with all of your heart and passion to be queen...I will support you to the end."

"...Are you serious?" Namiko muttered under her breath, not comprehending with Yuta's declaration.

"I'm always serious," Yuta said, slowly growing a smile of encouragement.

"...Why?" She furthered asked him. "...Why go to this extent just for me?"

"...Because we're friends," Yuta replied, his smile not fading.

"Eh?" Namiko was suprised by his response.

Suddenly a presence arrived inside the alley from out of nowhere. The Chameleon Zodiarts emerged from its hiding, gaining the notice of Yuta and Namiko. It extended its tongue and tentacles to attack the two. Yuta quickly grabbed Namiko and used himself as a human shield bracing for impact.

However, the attack was thwarted by an unknown object. Everyone was in confusion until they noticed the Burgermeal Foodroid, presumably the one to stop the attack. It the, flew away and into the hands of Utsumi, who was still in his school uniform.

"Be careful, Hibiki," Utsumi calmly warned him as he walked closer.

"Utsumi?" Yuta asked as Utsumi took out the Switch from the Foodroid, reverting it back to its toy form.

"I finally uncovered your identity," Utsumi announced, looking straight at the Chameleon Zodiarts. "If you want a suggestion, you should stop using that Switch for evil...Sakuma Yuko."

Namiko's eyes widened in shock as she looked back at the Chameleon Zodiarts, as did Yuta although he grew a more serious expression. The Zodiarts merely chuckled at Utsumi's demand. It took out a black Switch with a red button on it. It pressed it, smoke consuming the creature. It faded away, revealing Yuko, who had a devious smile on her face.

"Y...Yuko?" Namiko asked, absolutely flabbergasted by this reveal.

"Well, well, well." Yuko said with full cockiness. "I'm surprised you figured it out."

"Wait...YOU were the one who sabotaged me!?" Namiko accused Yuko, only to receive a laugh from her sidekick in response.

"Looks like her majesty finally got the clue," Yuko responded.

"And I assume you were also the one who sabotaged Rikka as well," Utsumi assumed which caused Yuko to nod.

"You hit the nail right on the head," Yuko admitted as she turned to Yuta. "Boy, was it so satisfying to see the look on your girlfriend's face."

"Why you..." Yuta muttered, his voice gaining a tone of disdain.

"I figured it had to be one of the sidekicks who was the culprit," Utsumi continued. "I had you and Shigeno Hana marked."

"But Yuko was also attacked," Namiko pointed out the flaw.

"She was merely faking it," Utsumi rebuffed, adjusting his glasses. "So that way no one would've suspected that it was her. Very clever, I will admit."

"Looks like someone appreciates my handywork," Yuko sarcastically stated.

"Where did you even get that Switch?" Utsumi interrogated her.

"I was given it by that...thing..." Yuko answered, looking at the Switch and almost cherishing it like it was the most precious item in the world.

"The Scorpio Zodiarts?" Yuta asked, as he turned to Utsumi. "Is that what he was doing at the school that day?"

"That looks to be true," Utsumi answered his question.

"They said this trinket could give me the power to become queen," Yuko continued staring at the Switch.

"They?" Yuta asked. "Someone else was with him?"

"That thing...and a girl..." Yuko answered.

"A girl...?" Utsumi asked, his curiosity igniting as he was now discovering a new wrinkle in the mix.

"But why!?" Namiko yelled, demanding Yuko's reasoning. "Why would do this!?"

The girl's eyes started to water as she began sniffling, looking up at Namiko. "I'm sorry," She muttered in regret. "I just wanted to surpass you..."

"Yuko..." Namiko mumbled, starting to gain sympathy for her friend. Yuko slowly walked towards her and vice versa.

"I'm so sorry, Namiko..." Yuko repeated. "I know I've done terrible things to you, and terrible things to Rikka."

Namiko noticed tears rolling down Yuko's eyes, making her more disheartened to see her be like this. Yuta placed his hand on Utsumi's shoulder, giving the hint that they should stay out of this and let the two girls talk it out. Utsumi gave the nod in agreement as the walked away briefly.

Yuko wiped away her own tear, before looking back up at Namiko. Her sadness was just another facade as she regained a more sinister smile.

"But I can do even more terrible things to you," Yuko said, which startled the reigning queen as Yuko's thumb pressed the red button again.

"No wait!" Yuta screamed, noticing Yuko's action. Yuko smirked as black smoke consumed her again. Yuta ran toward her but was blown back as the smoke caused a small burst, Yuko now transformed in the Chameleon Zodiarts.

"Yuta!" Namiko yelled out to him, trying to rush to his aid until she was attacked from behind by the Chameleon Zodiarts's tongue in a rapid pace. One last whip, launched Namiko back a foot or two, landing roughly on the floor. Her body now had bruised and a few scratches, and she even had blood dripping slightly from her mouth.

The Chameleon Zodiarts laughed maniacally, relishing over the fact that Namiko was now bruised and hurt. "Looks like you won't be able to continue in the Queenfest in that condition!" She proclaimed.

Yuta gritted his teeth in anger as he stood back up. He got out the Fourze Driver and placed it around his waist. He flipped all 4 Switches down and prepared to transform. Namiko, was almost on the brink of being unconscious but not before she tilted her head slightly to notice Yuta with the belt on. She was totally puzzled at what he was doing.

 **"THREE! TWO! ONE!"**

"Henshin!" Yuta yelled as he pulled the lever, raising his right arm up in the air. Vapour streamed out of the belt as a cybernetic circle rose above him, his body consumed by a bright light as Fourze now appeared. Fourze was too pent up to even say his catchphrase that he was just starting to warm up to.

"What a fool you truly are, I expect nothing less from trash," The Chameleon Zodiarts mocked at Fourze.

"Y-Yuta...?" Namiko muttered in confusion.

"This piece of trash has a name," Fourze responded, getting a sense of deja vu. "The name is Kamen Rider Fourze. Let's settle this man to...oh wait, that right...shit. Let's settle this one-on-one then!"

Fourze charged at the Chameleon Zodiarts, nailing a couple of haymakers and gut kicks. Even giving her a headbutt for good measure. The Chameleon Zodiarts started to feel overpowered as she started heading for the exit.

"I can't guarantee you'll make it out alive if you get in my way again!" She yelled at Fourze, leaving the bowling alley. Fourze turned around to see Utsumi rushing to Namiko, who was now unconscious.

"Hibiki, I got this!" Utsumi reassured him. "Don't let her get away!"

"Understood I'm counting on you!" Fourze nodded as he left the alley too, chasing after the Zodiarts.

"Namiko! Stay with me, I'm going to get you help right away!" Utsumi said, checking Namiko's pulse to make sure she was okay, while getting his phone out and calling for an ambulance.

* * *

(Later)

It was now the evening as Yuta, Utsumi, who were now joined by Rikka, were inside a local hospital visiting Namiko. They were in her room, looking at the unconscious queen who still had bruises on her and bandages wrapped around her forehead.

Yuta and Utsumi explained what had happened prior to Rikka, giving her all the details. Rikka also told Yuta that she was well aware that the Zodiarts had been Yuko all along once Utsumi gave her the intel before he left for that bowling alley.

The trio was genuinely concerned for Namiko as she didn't deserve any of this unwarranted betrayal and abuse. Rikka felt the most concerned and saddened out of the three. This was someone who was once her best friend. She may have felt hatred towards her earlier, but all that has gone away now at this moment.

"Sakuma Yuko will definitely be at the Queenfest stage tomorrow," Utsumi pointed out to the other two.

"We need to let everyone know and have the Queenfest postponed." Rikka suggested which made Yuta shake his head, much to the girl's confusion.

"No. We can't," Yuta declined which made Rikka bewildered.

"Why not!? It gives us time to stop Yuko before it's too late!" Rikka argued with him.

Yuta looked back at Namiko as multiple thoughts ran through his head.

"Look..." Utsumi interrupted. "Let's just give this a rest for now and we'll think of something tomorrow. It's very late anyways."

"Fine by me," Yuta agreed as the two boys went to leave before realizing Rikka wasn't following them.

"You're not coming?" Utsumi asked.

"No..." Rikka answered. "I-I think I'll stay here a little longer."

The two boys looked at each other before mentally agreeing with each other, looking back at the girl.

"Alright, if you say so," Yuta said, respecting her decision. "Just don't stay here too long, your mom will get worried."

Rikka gave a reassuring nod as the two left the room. Rikka sat on a chair near the hospital bed and just stared at Namiko. It went on for what felt like an eternity until she noticed Namiko's eyelids fluttering. Her eyes slowly opened, her vision beginning to feel fuzzy. Eventually, her vision was back to normal as Namiko was looking at her surroundings.

"Wh-Where am I?" Namiko asked.

"You're in the hospital," Rikka answered, garnering Namiko's attention. "Utsumi called for an ambulance while you were unconscious."

Namiko was startled by seeing Rikka, especially after everything that transpired previously during the first portion of the Queenfest.

"R-Rikka..." She muttered.

"...Hey Namiko," Rikka greeted nonchalantly. "How are you feeling?"

"Well...I'm still aching," Namiko responded.

"At least you're still alive," Rikka responded back.

Awkward silence surrounded the room for a couple more seconds, the two waiting for the other to speak. When they tried, they both unintentionally interrupted each other from speaking, causing more awkwardness.

"Rikka..." Namiko started. "I'm so sorry about what happened. I promise you I had nothing to do with that sabotage."

"No need to worry about that." Rikka reassured her. "Utsumi told me everything. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for slapping you the other day."

"No..." Namiko refused. "You shouldn't be apologizing for that...if anything, I probably deserved that..."

Both were apologizing to each other, both refusing and putting the blame on themselves. The two kept talking, probably the first time in years that they had a normal conversation. Rikka even explained why she was even participating in the Queenfest to begin with.

"You still have a lovely singing voice," Namiko complimented. "It's been years since I last ever heard you sing."

"Yeah, I don't sing as much as I use to," Rikka remembered.

"It's a shame really," Namiko said. "I actually thought you did wonderful out there on the stage."

"Thanks," Rikka replied with a soft smile on her face.

"You actually had a fair shot of dethroning me," Namiko remarked with a small tone of admiration in her voice.

"No offence," Rikka rebuffed. "But I have no interest in being queen whatsoever. I still loathe this competition...especially after it ruined what we use to be..."

Namiko stayed silent as she knew what she was referring to.

"Do you remember what happened after you won your first Queenfest...?" Rikka asked her, as she grew more serious. "Before you won, we were the best of friends, you truly were the sister I never had...When you won your first Queenfest, I was elated. I was so happy."

Rikka's emotions soon started to take over as she continued to speak. Namiko started feeling pure guilt as she was noticing Rikka's behavior.

"But when you won that first contest, I never heard from you since then." Rikka muttered. "You stopped visiting the Junk Shop. You stopped calling me. I didn't hear anything from you for months until I bumped into you during that summer. You were with Yuko and Hana and I swore it was like you were a completely different person."

Namiko kept listening to Rikka ramble on. Rikka proceeded to say how Namiko insulted her and said that they were not friends anymore. How it broke her heart. How she cried all day that day when it happened. However, despite all of that, there's still hope in Rikka that one day, they would rekindle their past friendship.

"I didn't give you that charm bracelet because I worshiped you like the other students." Rikka revealed. "I gave it to you because I still wanted us to be friends."

Namiko was saddened by this revelation, Rikka just wanted to be friends with Namiko again. She never gave up, and Namiko just kicked her down when the chance was given to her. It made her feel disgusted at herself.

"I'm happy that you earned the title of queen," Rikka admitted further. "I'm happy that you gained so much popularity. But it seems you lost a sense of humility with that fame."

"...That's not true," Namiko uttered, denying the statement.

"Then what happened between us, Namiko!?" Rikka exclaimed. "If you say it's not true, why did you not want to be friends with me anymore!?"

Namiko's silence emerged again as she couldn't come up with a straight answer. Rikka apologized and regained her composure after letting some of her emotions leak through. She checked the time and noticed that it was almost time for her curfew.

"I have to go..." Rikka stated as she walked towards the exit. "I hope you get better tomorrow..."

"Thanks..." Namiko mumbled as Rikka left the room. Namiko winced as she started to move a bit, she reached over to her bag which was on a near drawer.

She reached inside the bag and took out the charm bracelet, which she took out of the trash and decided to keep. She clenched it inside her hands, growing a more serious attitude.

* * *

(The next day)

School ended for the day as students entered the gym once more, anticipating for the second portion of the Queenfest. The performance portion ended two days ago, now it's time for the speech aspect.

Meanwhile, Yuko and Hana were in a room in reserved for the finalists, dressed in elegant dresses and their hair tied up in a vibrant way. They both were placing their make-up on until they heard a knock on the door. Before they could even answer the person, the door slid open to reveal Kenji, who had a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

He had a sly smile on his face, staring at Yuko with a carnivorous look in his eyes. "Good luck on your speech, Sakuma-chan," Kenji said, encouraging her.

"Oh? And what can I do for the school king?" Yuko asked, her confidence now booming more than ever.

"As a king, it is my duty to pay respects to the brand-new queen," Kenji complimented to her, which made Hana absolutely stunned. Kenji is supposed to be Namiko's boyfriend. Why is he flirting with Yuko like this?

"Are you sure you should be saying this?" Yuko playfully asks taking the flowers from Kenji. "Namiko will be furious."

Kenji scoffed when she pointed this out to him. He brushed it off his shoulders started caressing Yuko's cheek which made Hana become disgusted at the sight.

"A king must always have a queen by his side," Kenji stated as he gave her a small salute and exited the room.

Once he was gone, Yuko's demeanor immediately shifted, scoffing at what just happened. She tossed the flowers aside like garbage as she turned to look at Hana who immediately became afraid of her.

"Oh, what's wrong Hana?" Yuko asked, phoning in a look of concern.

"Y...You're starting to scare me, Yuko," Hana hesitantly answered which resulted in Yuko laughing, wrapping her arms around Hana from behind.

"I am?" Yuko asked. "Oh Hana, never change. All you to do is stay the same you are, you do that...and I promise nothing bad will happen to you..."

Hana was purely intimidated by Yuko's new behavior recently. The Yuko of old seems to be long gone, which really made Hana feel ill inside. She started dreading the outcome of Yuko becoming the new queen and what could come as a result.

Soon the rest of the school day passed as normal before everyone can gather for the continuation of Queenfest. All of the students, including Utsumi, Hass, JK and Kenji, were now inside the gym. Along with the students were the faculty members too, Ohsugi and Sonada included. Utsumi had gone to them earlier and told them what had happened with Namiko, not giving the entire details. Unfortunately, even if they wanted to, the Queenfest was still going to take place due to the principal's orders, with or without Namiko.

Utsumi was on high alert now, knowing who the Chameleon Zodiarts is. He knows for a fact more mishaps will happen again as they did previously.

"We really should postpone this entire thing," Ohsugi stated, agreeing with Utsumi's suggestion from earlier. Not only that but he was still extremely bitter over the whole mess that occurred during the first half of the Queenfest. "Even if it is the principal's decision, we shouldn't go through with this!"

"What the principal says goes," Sonada responded, respecting their boss's decision. "Besides, the students have been looking forward to this, they don't want to see it postponed. I, for one, want to support them."

Ohsugi's attitude changed dramatically over the mere fact that Sonada wanted the Queenfest to continue. "I mean, the Queenfest is g-good! You're right, we should let it keep going!"

Sonada nodded in agreement, donning a sweet and cheerful grin on her face which made Ohsugi flustered over her cuteness.

The student who was hosting the entire event returned as he ran up to the stage, back in his sparkling gold suit. The finalist eventually made their way towards the stage too, as it revealed Yuko, Hana, and Rikka, who was also dressed elegantly for this portion of the contest. Her hair was tied in a bun with her orange scrunchy keeping is in place. However, amongst the finalist, Namiko was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello everyone!" The host greeted. "And welcome back to the Amanogawa High School Queenfest!"

Everyone applauded, including Utsumi and Hass albeit it was out of hesitation and disinterest respectively.

"Now it is time for the final selection!" The host announced through his microphone, referring to the speech portion of the contest. "First off is our reigning queen for three years in a row, Kazashiro Namiko!"

No response was given when the host mentioned her name, Namiko was still missing which made the entire school body confused. They were wondering amongst themselves where she could possibly be. Some were audibly asking where she was.

"Namiko isn't showing up," Yuko revealed, which silenced everyone. She took the mic from the host's hands and ventured on. "She ran away."

The students became more confused as Utsumi squinted his eyes at the sight of Yuko, as did Rikka which earned an ear to ear smile from Yuko who noticed the two. Hass was still suspicious of what was going on but decided to let things play out.

"There was someone that I use to look up to," Yuko said. "Kazashiro Namiko, she was someone who shined the most out of all of us in this school. But in reality, she was nothing more than a selfish coward. She said such an awful thing about each and every one of you."

The students remembered full well about the footage that they saw from a few days ago. Some even shaking their heads with disdain over what came out of Namiko's mouth.

"And what did she do when those secrets were revealed?" Yuko asked before answering her own question. "That's right. She ran away, like the coward she truly is. I can never forgive her for that!"

Rikka clenched her fists at what Yuko was spewing out of her mouth. Sure, what Namiko said was insulting but it was nothing compared to the heinous actions Yuko did. Namiko wasn't the one who resorted to underhanded tricks.

"Which is why I think this school deserves more," Yuko kept spilling pure white lies. "This school deserves a queen who is a strong-willed individual who never gives up against any obstacle! That is what I intend to be for you all!"

The lies still managed to win over the audience as they cheered and applauded, except for Utsumi and Hass who were hardly impressed. Kenji gave a smile to Yuko, giving another salute in support as Ohsugi praised Yuko's speech. Seems like the school is now in the palms of a new queen. Rikka simply shook her head as Yuko turned to her, glaring at her with a cocky grin knowing that she now had the crowd wrapped around her pinky.

They kept applauding until a thud echoed, causing everyone to stop and look at the source. It was Namiko who was now on a single crutch, still having bandages wrapped around her forehead. She even had a tiara placed on her head, symbolizing her position as reigning queen, a role she has no intentions of letting go.

"And just who ran away, exactly?" Namiko asked.

Yuko turned around and was flabbergasted to see Namiko, who actually managed to show up. Utsumi lightly smiled, seeing her managed to arrive, even though it'd be best that she stayed in the hospital. JK grew a cheeky grin but mainly wanting to see if things will get messy again. Meanwhile Kenji grew nervous, scratching the back of his head upon seeing his supposed girlfriend. Even Hass grew a smile in support herself.

Rikka immediately grew a smile of her own, remember the will and determination Namiko always had. One of the few things that never changed about her. Soon, someone emerged from the crowd himself and stood afar from Namiko. Yuta.

"N-Namiko?" Yuko asked, shocked to see her while Hana and Rikka looked over to each other, smiling in relief. "Why are you here?"

"What does it look like?" Namiko rhetorically responded. "I'm here to give my speech, of course!"

Yuko then grew a hearty chuckled as she crossed her arms, "How gutsy of you to try. But even with you here, what makes you think anyone would want to listen to you? Am I right, everyone?"

The audience in unison agreed with Yuko, heckling Namiko, telling her to go away. Namiko wasn't having any of the beratings this time as she banged the end of her crutch on the floor, making a thud loud enough for the crowd to be silent again.

Namiko proceeded to move towards the stage with the help of her crutch.

"Sure, there are people who hate me," Namiko admitted, not afraid to realize the truth. "But why give gifts to someone if you don't even consider what the recipient wants? Why write a letter if it's illegible?"

These questions from Namiko made the student begin to question themselves. She made a valid point. They didn't have to get these gifts for Namiko and what made them so reassured that she would even want the gifts.

"That's not what support is in my eyes!" Namiko spoke further. "That's just doing things out of self-interest and self-satisfaction. They're just deluding themselves into thinking that they're being supportive."

Namiko pushed forward as she started to gain the trust of the school back on her shoulders. Rikka and Hana smiled as they were hearing her words. Rikka then recalled something similar Namiko once told her.

"Those are the kind of people I look down upon!" Namiko continued as she noticed Yuta who was but a mere foot or two away from her. "People need to shine for themselves, not for others. And no one shines brighter than the queen."

Yuta smiled as he was hearing all this, now fully supporting Namiko through this.

"You people shouldn't work hard to impress me," Namiko said to everyone. "And the same goes for all future queens once I'm gone, set an example for yourselves. Work hard for yourselves. And the one who works the hardest deserves the right to bear the moniker."

She finally turned to Yuta, returning a warm smile of her own. "At least that's what I think everyone should abide too, just like me as I intend to keep working hard and continue to handle such a big responsibility."

She turned to Yuta and held out her spare hand. Yuta gladly accepted as they commenced the Handshake of Friendship. Namiko finally made her way up the stage as she looked at Yuko with such disappointment.

"Even if I'm hurt," Namiko said to Yuko, who refused to look at her out of malice. "Even if others mock me, I don't intend on giving up my role as queen to anyone else. Especially those who didn't earn it fairly. Now move aside, I have a speech to give out."

The audience was dead silent until Yuta gave a loud clap that eventually prompted others to clap along with them. It looked like Namiko had earned their trust and support back as everyone in the audience was now applauding and cheering for their current queen. Kenji looked around and started applauding himself, though still nervous about his actions earlier with Yuko.

Namiko turned around and noticed Rikka was applauding too. They smiled at each other until Rikka noticed she was actually wearing the charm bracelet. Namiko grew a wide grin at Rikka's expression.

Rikka couldn't help but feel her eyes water out of joy. Namiko went to give the girl a hug which made Rikka return the gesture, leading to her lightly sobbing. Hana eventually joined in on the hug as well which made Yuta gain a relieved smile across his face.

Yuko, on the other hand, glared at Namiko. She gave a scoffed and went to the back. Utsumi noticed this and followed her.

The three girls broke away from the hug as Namiko wiped away Rikka's tears before noticing the host who prompted her to step forward.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to reintroduce her once more," The host said. "Please welcome our reigning queen for 2 years straight, Kazashiro Namiko!"

The crowd erupted once more in cheers with Rikka leading them to chant Namiko's name. Meanwhile, Yuko was in the back with the black Switch her hands, now enraged that things didn't go her way.

"That idiot...She thinks the world revolves around her!?" Yuko asked herself. "It's about time her world came crashing down."

 **"LAST ONE!"**

Yuko was startled as she heard a voice escape from the Switch in her hands. The Switch was encapsulated by a black aura before the Switch grew spikes and a bigger red button. She inspected it briefly before she was grabbed by the wrists by Utsumi.

"Don't do it!" Utsumi warned her. "You won't be able to return to human again. Please rethink this."

Yuko pushed Utsumi on the ground as she stared at him with her thumb on the button.

"I've already made up my mind..." Yuko muttered as she pressed the button, black smoke covering her body, blue and red lights shining through. An explosion of smoke occurred, revealing an armored Chameleon Zodiarts as Yuko's actual body feel do the ground, covered in spider webs.

Namiko meanwhile gave a small bow in gratitude as she was prepared to deliver her speech. But before she could say anything, the Chameleon Zodiarts tongue came from above and wrapped itself around Namiko. Yuta and the others were startled when they saw this and students were immediately panicking when the Zodiarts reeled her up.

Yuta immediately went to the stage and went to the door far from it that led to a flight of stairs. Yuta frantically ran up the stairs and followed the Chameleon Zodiarts who was flying above the stage, started to drag Namiko who was trying to break free from her grip.

"Such a pest you are…" The Chameleon Zodiarts insulted at her. "You should've just stayed in the hospital bed!"

"I don't want a certain guy laughing at me for giving up so easily," Namiko retorted.

"Let's see how long you and say that," The Chameleon Zodiarts said as Yuta finally made his way to the loft.

"That's far enough, Yuko!" Yuta yelled as he took out the Fourze Driver and placed it around his waist. He flipped down all 4 of the Switches and prepared his transformation.

 **"THREE! TWO! ONE!"**

"Henshin!" Yuta exclaimed, pulling the lever and raising his right arm with vapor escaping from the Driver. The metallic circle raised up over his head, a white light encapsulated his body as the space hero, Kamen Rider Fourze emerged.

"UCHUU KITA!" Fourze screamed with full conviction. "Okay, now I'm definitely starting to get used to it!"

"You want Namiko so badly?" The green Zodiarts asked him which was followed by a sudden attack from her long tongue, knocking Fourze down briefly. "Come and get her."

The Chameleon Zodiarts proceeded to leave the entire facility with Namiko. Fourze got back up, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, tired of the Chameleon Zodiarts's antics these past few days.

"You're not gonna get away this time!" Fourze yelled as he went after them.

* * *

(Outside)

The Chameleon Zodiarts took Namiko near a large bridge. She had Fourze on her tail as he caught up with her and Namiko. He charged for a punch but the Zodiarts began to use Namiko as a human shield, causing Fourze to stop in his tracks. The Chameleon Zodiarts took this opportunity to get a cheap shot on him. Fourze tried going for a kick but she once again used Namiko to protect herself, making him stop again.

Eventually the two had a brief tug of war for Namiko but it was all for naught as the Zodiarts got her back in her clutches. The Chameleon was very swift, every time Fourze tried going for an attack it was always stopped because Namiko is involuntarily preventing him from doing so.

"Dammit! I can't hit her with Namiko in the way!" Fourze points out to himself before yelling at the Zodiarts. "Fight fair, you coward!"

"Calm down, Hibiki!" Utsumi, who managed to catch up with Fourze, told him.

The Chameleon Zodiarts then took Namiko to the railing of the bridge. "Don't you dare move." She warned the two boys. "If you even move a muscle, I will throw Namiko off this bridge! Now undo your transformation, Fourze!"

Fourze gritted his teeth again, appalled that the Chameleon has stooped this far.

"A chameleon huh...?" Namiko muttered which made the Zodiarts turns her focus on the girl. "It actually fits you the more I think about it."

The green Zodiarts started to become angry as she started to choke Namiko with one hand.

"Always scurrying around the shadows..." Namiko kept speaking, granted it was getting harder for her to breathe. "Always disappearing in the background!"

"Shut up!" The Zodiarts yelled at her.

Fourze was confused as to why Namiko is poking the beast until she looked over and gave Utsumi a reassuring nod. Utsumi tapped on Fourze's shoulder, giving him new instructions.

"Number 5...Magic Hand." Utsumi quietly said to him. Fourze checked the compartment of his belt and noticed a new Astroswitch inside. It was colored magenta and had the number 5 on it.

"I got it." Fourze eased his friend as he took the new Switch out.

"Do you know?" The Chameleon Zodiarts asked Namiko. "I've always hated this arrogant side of you since I've entered this school!"

"Oh I've always known," Namiko admitted. "You honestly think I didn't notice? You should grateful that I was merciful enough to spare you."

Namiko was just enticing the Chameleon Zodiart further, making her blood boil more and more.

"What I didn't expect however was you having the guts to actually defy me." Namiko spewed more.

"That's it!" The Chameleon Zodiarts screamed at her as Fourze replaced his Rocket Switch with the new magenta one.

 **"MAGIC HAND!"**

She tossed Namiko off the bridge, the latter screaming in fear as she fell, prompting Fourze to immediately flip the new Switch.

 **"MAGIC HAND ON!"**

Fourze's right arm now had a new module attached to it, the module mimicking a manipulator arm. The arm stretched out long enough to grabbed Namiko in mid-air, pulling her back in. Fourze caught her and made her stay upright. She gave a heavy sigh of relief before looking up at Fourze. Namiko gained a small blush as did Fourze underneath his helmet as they realized how close their faces were.

"O-Oops..." Namiko muttered.

"O-Oops..." Fourze repeated after her.

"What the-!?" The Chameleon Zodiarts asked, stunned that Fourze managed to save Namiko.

Fourze then turned off the Magic Hand Switch before looking back at the Chameleon. "You're not the only one who's able to extend their body," Fourze remarked due to the Chameleon Zodiarts able to stretch out her tongue and extra tentacles.

The green creature looked at Namiko, realizing that she had been duped. "You WANTED me to get angry, didn't you!?" The Chameleon exclaimed.

"I wouldn't be queen if I didn't know the type of personality my sidekicks have," Namiko remarked at her question which made the Zodiarts groan in absolute frustration.

"Though I will admit, that was pretty reckless," Fourze said to Namiko.

"You can't be a knight in shining armor if you can't save the queen," Namiko replied which took Fourze by surprised.

"A knight in shining armor?" He asked, amazed by what Namiko called him. "Seems like a dramatic shift from being the so called 'Trashiest of Trash', don't you think?"

"Not to me," Namiko said with pride. "Now do me a favor and knock some sense back into Yuko."

"With pleasure," Fourze answered while looking at the Chameleon, happy to oblige. "Now let's settle this one-on-one!"

 **(Play Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

Fourze and the Zodiarts charged at each other with Fourze nailing the first hit. He was immediately gaining dominance of the fight as he grabbed the Chameleon and jumped off the bridge, dragging her with him.

Fourze used his hover pack so he could land safely, but that wasn't the case for the Chameleon Zodiarts who landed hard on the concrete road that was beneath the bridge. She slowly got back up only to met by more punches from Fourze, he countered her attack in consecutive fashion. He managed to get her up in a military press position and hurled her by a few feet. As she groaned in pain, Fourze turned on the Launcher Switch.

 **"LAUNCHER ON!"**

The blue laucher emerged, connecting to Fourze's right boot. He immediately stomped his foot down, lauching multiple missile that made contact with the Zodiarts, sending her flying up in the air. Fourze proceed to turn off the blue Switch while he got back out the Rocket one, removing the Magic Hand and placing it back in.

 **"ROCKET!"**

Fourze then immediately turned on both the Rocket and Drill Switches.

 **"ROCKET ON!"**

 **"DRILL ON!"**

Fourze jumped as the two modules attached to his right arm and left leg respectively. "Time to finally finish you off!" He yelled as he pulled the lever of the Fourze Driver.

 **"ROCKET DRILL! LIMIT BREAK!"**

The orange rocket made Fourze fly upwards a few feet before descending down towards the Chameleon Zodiarts, getting in a side kick position.

"RIDER ROCKET DRILL KICK!" Fourze screamed as the tip of the yellow drill pierced through the Chameleon Zodiarts, causing her to explode in defeat.

Fourze, while in mid-air, turned off both Switches as he landed on his feet. He turned around to see the midst of the explosion and noticed the black trinket fly towards him. Fourze caught it with ease before promptly pressing the red button, causing it to disintegrate in his hands.

 **(End Switch On! by Anna Tsuchiya)**

"Finally!" Fourze exclaimed in relief as he finally took care of the Chameleon Zodiarts. "Fourth time's the try!"

* * *

(Back in the gym)

The area was completely empty as everyone had left during the whole ruckus, leaving behind a mess with papers and chairs all over the floor. Meanwhile backstage, Rikka was shaking Yuko's body, hoping that her consciousness had returned. Luckily it did, as Yuko's eyelids slowly opened as the girl then sat up looking around to notice Yuta, Namiko and Utsumi, looking down with stern and concerned looks on their faces.

Yuko looked away from them, now completely and utterly ashamed at herself for what she did. Yuta bent down to look at her, still trying to be optimistic, even after everything.

"I don't think it's too late for us to still be friends perhaps," Yuta bluntly stated, which made Namiko scoffed and push Yuta aside.

Namiko bent down as well to look at Yuko who was afraid of being scolded by her. But to her surprise, Namiko grew a soft and sympathetic smile towards her.

"I said a chameleon fits you," Namiko said. "But it sure as hell doesn't suit you. If you truly wish to beat me, you have to work as hard as I do and do it fairly, Yuko-chan."

Yuko's eyes had tears running down in regret as she nodded at Namiko's advice. Namiko pulled her in for a hug, consoling her friend as she was crying. Yuko was ashamed of what she did but at the same time happy that her friendship with Namiko hasn't been broken. While she kept consoling with Yuko, Namiko looked up at Rikka who smiled at her. Namiko returned the gesture, the two seem to be back on the same page again.

* * *

(The next day)

It was an hour or two after school had ended for the day. Rikka and Utsumi were in the Rabbit Hatch looking over a sheet of paper that Rikka had. The paper revealed the final results of the Queenfest, and what seemed impossible became possible. Namiko managed to make a huge comeback and is once again the queen.

"Well, I guess that makes it 3 years in a row now." Rikka remarked, looking over the scores.

"Hey, you didn't do too bad yourself, Rikka." Utsumi pointed out to her. "Even if you didn't give a speech, you still managed second place."

Utsumi then looked over to notice a white bag next to his friend. "What's that?" He asked her which made her proceed to place it on the tabletop.

"Oh, this bag is filled with gifts some students gave me," Rikka answered taking out some of the items like a necklace. "Looks like some of the Namiko's popularity has leeched onto me."

"I mean it isn't all too bad." Utsumi said, trying to see the positive in this. "At least people see you in a new light now."

"I guess, but that shouldn't prompt me to change who I am," Rikka responded, getting straight to the point. "Besides, I have way too much fun hanging with you and Yuta."

"I'm flattered," Utsumi chuckled while readjusting his glasses.

The two then heard the entrance door open and looked over to see Yuta. But he wasn't alone as Namiko, who still had the bandages on her forehead, was next to him. Utsumi was stunned while Rikka grew a bright smile.

"So, THIS is the Kamen Rider Club?" Namiko asked as she was observing the inside of the Hatch.

"Umm...Hibiki?" Utsumi nervously asked Yuta. "Why is she here?"

"The queen has the obligation to know everything that goes on around the school." Namiko answered as she kept inspecting. "I will not allow secrets to be kept from me. Besides, friends should never keep secrets from each other. Isn't that right, Yuta?"

"Yes...that's right." Yuta sighed in defeat, remembering that statement he had said before. He then looked at Utsumi who was becoming irritated at him again.

"I'm really sorry Utsumi." Yuta began explaining to him. "A bet is a bet and since I lost said bet technically, I had to tell her about the club as an alternative so I wouldn't have to transfer."

Utsumi was about to berate him again until Yuta interrupted him.

"But hey look at the bright side," Yuta said with a wide smile. "It means we've added one more member to the Kamen Rider Club."

"Club member?" Namiko asked, feeling insulted by those two words. "How rude. I think you mean club PRESIDENT."

"Come again?" Yuta asked.

"How can you be president?" Utsumi asked. "You JUST joined."

"Simple, I'm your superior and therefore it makes the most sense for your queen to be president." Namiko answered as if it was obvious.

"I don't have a problem with it," Rikka said as she was just happy to have her best friend back in her daily life. "Neither should you guys, right?"

"I…I guess that'd be okay," Yuta said with hesitation in his voice as he knew the last thing he wanted was to invoke Namiko's wrath.

"Whatever…" Utsumi brushed. "I could honestly care less."

Namiko grew a cheeky smile as her status was now official. She went over to Rikka, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"And since I'm now a part of the Club, I now have some catching up to do with my best friend." Namiko said which warmed Rikka as she stood up from the bench.

"Nothing would make me happier," Rikka agreed. Namiko held out her hand and the two girls commenced the Handshake of Friendship.

They then laughed and hugged each other which brought a smile on Yuta's face. He was relieved to know that Rikka finally got her old friend back. He took out his small book, opening it and proceeding to write down Yuko, Hana and now Namiko's names in it.

Rikka broke the hug and proceed to demand something from Namiko. "Now Namiko, before we start anything, we must get something taken care of first."

"Oh?" Namiko asked, curious about what Rikka was suggesting.

"I still am not over me slapping you that day," Rikka said, recalling that hard slap she gave to Namiko in the aftermath of the performance portion of the contest.

"Rikka, you have nothing to worry about." Namiko tried to ease her friend. "I'm over it now, it's okay."

"No, it's not." Rikka rebuffed. "It was totally uncalled for and so it's only fair that I got my comeuppance. I want you to slap me back."

"E-Excuse me?" Namiko perplexingly asked.

"I want you to slap me as hard as I did to you," Rikka continued as she got her hands behind her back. "It's only fair for us to be even."

"Don't be ridiculous, Rikka," Namiko declined but Rikka was not budging.

"I'm serious, Namiko," Rikka said. She wasn't gonna let this go.

"...Are you sure you want me to slap you?" Namiko asked again.

"Yes. Come on. What are you afraid of?" Rikka responded.

Namiko looked at the two boys who did not want to be involved with this. Ultimately, Namiko went through with Rikka's demand. She dropped her bag and prepped herself up, warming up to slap Rikka.

"Are you REALLY sure you want to go through with this?" Namiko asked one more time, giving Rikka a last chance to change her mind.

"Hit me with your best shot," Rikka responded with a smile, not afraid.

Namiko shrugged as she slapped Rikka extremely hard, the slap was loud enough to echo through the Hatch. Yuta and Utsumi cringed at the sight of the rough slap. Namiko immediately gained regret as she looked at Rikka who felt all of the brunt force behind that smack.

Rikka looked up at Namiko, still having a smile on her face, although she had tears of pain running down her face.

"Okay, now we're even." Rikka said which gave Namiko the motive to give her an apologetic hug. This was now the official start of the reformation of their once cherished friendship.

* * *

(Later at night)

The lights in Tsutsujidai City were gleaming throughout the landscape. Without caution, four fairly small meteors hurdled their way towards Earth. They broke through the atmosphere and were about to make contact with the surface.

Three of the four made impact away from the city, sending multiple shockwaves that spread its way throughout a good portion of the city.

One meteor, however did land inside of the city, crash landing in a construction site. The impact was loud enough for lights flickering and people outside to panic. Police noticed the predicament as they called for backup such as firefighters as the area where the meteor land begun to set its surroundings ablaze.

Then meteor suddenly opened like a cracked egg, a humanoid hand emerging from it, lightning starting to spark at its fingertips.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

Alexis Kerib was in a dark room as his red visor was glowing bright. Coincidently in response to the meteors' impact. His companion noticed this as he started growing curious if something had happened.

"What is it, Alexis?" The middle-aged man as the alien.

"...It seems we now have a slight predicament in our hands," Alexis merely stated. He knew exactly what was going, before proceed to give his ally the full details.

* * *

 **AN: And there's the latest chapter that SonicHeroXD and I managed to cook up. I admit, this chapter took long to edit on my part due to recent events that have been holding me up for the past few months. I'm gonna try writing more for other stories as time goes on, but we'll see how that goes especially since I have a couple new ideas that I've been wanting to share with all of you.**

 **Anyways, you all know the drill, please review or send PMs for questions, comments, or concerns. Don't be afraid to review this chapter, send questions, or look at my other fics. Alright, I'm done; goodnight.**


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